EQIX
Equinix, Inc. Common Stock REIT
stock NASDAQ

I keep running into the same thing when I look at where AI infrastructure seems to be going. A lot of the companies doing the really extreme stuff like orbital compute, space data centers, and off-Earth AI are private. Starcloud, Axiom Space, Lonestar, SpaceX, etc. You cannot buy their stock.
But they do not build everything themselves. They buy hardware, launch services, power systems, lasers, networking, and ground infrastructure from public companies. So if this whole space-compute idea actually scales, a lot of the money should flow into the suppliers, not just the private startups.
So I tried to map out who would benefit if this actually becomes real.
These are some of the public companies that keep showing up when you look at what these private players would need:
Redwire (RDW)
They build space station components, solar arrays, and structures. If you are putting servers in orbit, they have to sit on something.
Rocket Lab (RKLB)
They launch payloads and also build spacecraft. All this hardware has to get into orbit somehow.
Coherent (COHR)
They make lasers and photonics. Space data centers will need fast optical links between satellites and to the ground.
L3Harris (LHX)
They do space communications, sensors, and aerospace systems.
Equinix (EQIX)
Even if compute is in space, data still comes back to Earth. Ground stations, fiber, and interconnection hubs are where they make their money.
BWX Technologies (BWXT)
They do nuclear and specialized power systems, which could matter a lot for long-term space compute.
What I find interesting is that most of these have not run nearly as hard as GPU and memory stocks. The market still mostly thinks AI equals chips and software. The physical and space-side infrastructure feels much less crowded.
And today at Davos, Elon Musk said that in the long run, the cheapest place to run AI data centers will be in space because you get constant solar power and much easier cooling in vacuum. That lines up pretty well with why companies like Starcloud and Axiom even exist.
So I am curious what people here think.
Is this way too early and speculative, or does it make sense to start building positions in some of these suppliers now, before the space-compute narrative really hits the market?

I keep running into the same thing when I look at where AI infrastructure seems to be going. A lot of the companies doing the really extreme stuff like orbital compute, space data centers, and off-Earth AI are private. Starcloud, Axiom Space, Lonestar, SpaceX, etc. You cannot buy their stock.
But they do not build everything themselves. They buy hardware, launch services, power systems, lasers, networking, and ground infrastructure from public companies. So if this whole space-compute idea actually scales, a lot of the money should flow into the suppliers, not just the private startups.
So I tried to map out who would benefit if this actually becomes real.
These are some of the public companies that keep showing up when you look at what these private players would need:
Redwire (RDW)
They build space station components, solar arrays, and structures. If you are putting servers in orbit, they have to sit on something.
Rocket Lab (RKLB)
They launch payloads and also build spacecraft. All this hardware has to get into orbit somehow.
Coherent (COHR)
They make lasers and photonics. Space data centers will need fast optical links between satellites and to the ground.
L3Harris (LHX)
They do space communications, sensors, and aerospace systems.
Equinix (EQIX)
Even if compute is in space, data still comes back to Earth. Ground stations, fiber, and interconnection hubs are where they make their money.
BWX Technologies (BWXT)
They do nuclear and specialized power systems, which could matter a lot for long-term space compute.
What I find interesting is that most of these have not run nearly as hard as GPU and memory stocks. The market still mostly thinks AI equals chips and software. The physical and space-side infrastructure feels much less crowded.
And today at Davos, Elon Musk said that in the long run, the cheapest place to run AI data centers will be in space because you get constant solar power and much easier cooling in vacuum. That lines up pretty well with why companies like Starcloud and Axiom even exist.
So I am curious what people here think.
Is this way too early and speculative, or does it make sense to start building positions in some of these suppliers now, before the space-compute narrative really hits the market?