Month: April 2026

The proposal is part of a broader strategy by SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, to position the company as a major player in artificial intelligence infrastructure, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
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The vision: data centers in orbit
SpaceX aims to deploy up to one million satellites designed to function as data centers in space. The idea is to overcome growing constraints faced by terrestrial infrastructure, particularly limitations related to energy consumption and water use.
Orbital systems could, in theory, benefit from continuous solar energy and avoid pressure on Earth’s power grids. This aligns with a wider industry trend as companies explore alternative ways to support rapidly expanding AI workloads.
Lessons from Microsoft’s failed project
The concept echoes Microsoft’s “Project Natick,” which tested underwater data centers. While technically successful, the project was ultimately discontinued due to high costs, scalability limitations and weak commercial demand.
Experts suggest that SpaceX’s orbital approach could face even greater barriers, particularly given the extreme cost of launching hardware into space and maintaining it over time.
Technical challenges in space
Operating data centers in orbit introduces complex engineering problems. Cooling systems, for instance, are difficult to manage in microgravity environments. Additionally, exposure to radiation and the harsh conditions of space can degrade hardware more quickly than on Earth.
Another critical issue is technological obsolescence. AI chips evolve rapidly, and replacing outdated components in orbit would be far more difficult and expensive than upgrading ground-based systems.
Economic viability under scrutiny
Analysts question whether the concept is financially realistic. Estimates suggest that building a large-scale orbital data center network could require trillions of dollars and thousands of rocket launches annually.
Even with advancements in reusable launch technology, costs remain a major constraint. Critics argue that unless launch expenses fall dramatically, such projects may struggle to compete with improving terrestrial alternatives.
Limited real-world applications
While technically feasible, orbital data centers may initially serve only niche markets. Potential use cases include military operations or space-based infrastructure, rather than mainstream cloud computing.
Most experts believe that improving Earth-based solutions, such as more efficient chips, renewable energy integration and next-generation cooling systems, is currently a more practical path forward.
A growing space-based AI race
Despite skepticism, interest in space-based computing is rising. Companies and startups are increasingly exploring orbital infrastructure as demand for AI processing power surges.
However, SpaceX’s plan stands out due to its scale and ambition, making it one of the most closely watched experiments in the future of global data infrastructure.
Outlook
SpaceX’s orbital data center vision represents a bold attempt to redefine how and where computing infrastructure is built. Yet significant technical, economic and regulatory barriers remain.
Whether the project becomes a transformative breakthrough or follows the path of earlier abandoned experiments will depend on future advances in launch technology, cost efficiency and global demand for AI computing capacity.

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Stellantis opens new tab is discussing ​options for ‌building electric vehicles in ​Canada ​with Chinese partner ⁠Zhejiang Leapmotor ​Technology (9863.HK), opens new tab, Bloomberg ​News reported on Wednesday, citing ​people ​familiar with the matter, News.Az reports.
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Stellantis ‌and ⁠Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology did not ​immediately ​respond ⁠to Reuters’ ​requests for ​comment.

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His remarks come at a time of heightened geopolitical tension, particularly linked to developments involving Iran.
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Growing tensions within NATO
At the core of the dispute is Washington’s frustration with European allies, whom Trump accuses of failing to contribute sufficiently to efforts aimed at safeguarding maritime routes in the Gulf region. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for global energy supplies, and disruptions there carry significant economic and strategic implications.
What the U.S. Constitution says
From a constitutional perspective, the issue of treaty withdrawal remains ambiguous. While the U.S. Constitution clearly outlines the process for entering treaties – requiring approval from two-thirds of the Senate – it does not explicitly define how a president may exit such agreements. This legal grey area has long been debated among scholars and policymakers.
NATO treaty provisions
The NATO framework itself provides a formal withdrawal mechanism. Article 13 of the North Atlantic Treaty allows any member state to leave the alliance after giving one year’s notice. Notably, since NATO’s founding in 1949, no member has ever invoked this provision, underscoring the alliance’s historical stability.
U.S. law and congressional limits
Domestic U.S. legislation has sought to limit unilateral executive action. In 2023, Congress passed a law – signed by then-President Joe Biden – requiring Senate approval for any withdrawal from NATO. The measure, introduced by lawmakers including Tim Kaine and Marco Rubio, also prohibits the use of federal funds for such a move without legislative backing.
Conflicting legal interpretations
Despite this, legal interpretations remain contested. A prior opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice during Trump’s first presidency argued that treaty withdrawal authority resides exclusively with the executive branch. More recent analyses suggest that any attempt to withdraw could trigger a constitutional confrontation between the White House and Congress.
Political signals from Washington
Trump’s rhetoric has further fueled uncertainty. He has indicated that he is “absolutely” considering withdrawal, framing his stance as a response to what he describes as insufficient burden-sharing by European allies. His position has been echoed to some extent by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has refrained from firmly reaffirming U.S. commitments to NATO’s collective defense principle.
Experts such as Max Bergmann argue that beyond legal constraints, political will is decisive. Even without formal withdrawal, a reduced U.S. commitment could weaken NATO’s effectiveness and alter the strategic balance in Europe and beyond.
What happens next
Looking ahead, any attempt by the United States to exit NATO would likely face significant legal and political challenges. Courts could be called upon to interpret the balance of powers between Congress and the presidency, though such cases are historically rare and complex.
At the international level, treaty withdrawal is generally permissible if conducted in accordance with established procedures. The United States has previously exited agreements, including the Open Skies Treaty, without explicit congressional approval, setting precedents that could influence future decisions.
Ultimately, while a formal withdrawal would mark a historic shift in global security architecture, even raising the possibility signals growing strain within one of the world’s most enduring military alliances.

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In a public notice issued by the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA), the April 2026 fuel price adjustments were largely attributed to the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, which began in late February, News.az reports, citing Xinhua.
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The regulator noted that Tanzania is implementing measures to ensure fuel supply security while minimizing economic and social impacts.
Under the new cap prices effective from April 1, petrol in Dar es Salaam will retail at about 1.53 U.S. dollars per liter, while diesel and kerosene will cost about 1.52 and 1.47 dollars per liter, respectively.
Prices are slightly higher in Tanga and Mtwara, reflecting transport and logistical variations, it said.
Wholesale prices have also been adjusted, with petrol in Dar es Salaam capped at about 1.47 dollars per liter.
EWURA urged consumers to use fuel efficiently during the period of volatility, emphasizing the government’s commitment to stabilizing the energy sector amid external shocks. 

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Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a letter to the American public, urging them to “look beyond political rhetoric” and reassess their perception of his country, according to Iranian state media, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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Saying that the relationship between Iran and the United States is misunderstood, he emphasizes in the letter that Iran has “never, in its modern history, chosen the path of aggression, expansion, colonialism, or domination, and never initiated any war.”
“Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war? Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behavior?” the president asks.
“Is ‘America First’ truly among the priorities of the US government today?”
He goes on to say that the perception of Iran as a threat is “the product of political and economic whims of the powerful” and that Tehran’s actions thus far have been “legitimate self-defense” rather than an initiation of war.
Saying that the relationship between Iran and the United States is misunderstood, he asserts that Iran has “never, in its modern history, chosen the path of aggression, expansion, colonialism, or domination, and never initiated any war.”
The letter was released just hours before US President Donald Trump is expected to address the nation about Iran.
“The Iranian people harbor no enmity toward other nations, including the people of America, Europe or neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian wrote in his letter.
He stressed that attacks on Iranian infrastructure have ramifications for both Iranians and people beyond the country’s borders.

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Liftoff is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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The astronauts set to be launched into space today have arrived at the launch pad after donning their suits and completing one final task.
The crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — will be the first people to launch toward the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, more than 50 years ago. The crew will also be the first astronauts that NASA’s giant Space Launch System rocket launches into space.
The 10-day mission does not include a lunar landing; rather, it is designed as a step toward a landing in 2028, and eventually, toward NASA’s goal of establishing a long-term presence on the moon and building a base there. When they circle the moon, the Artemis II crew members could reach a greater distance from Earth than anyone has before.

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Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said earlier that civil defense teams were “extinguishing a fire in a facility of a company as a result of the Iranian aggression,” but did not identify the company or provide details on the extent of the damage, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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Amazon declined to comment on any specific strike, according to the report.
The attack is the latest sign that the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran is spilling into the Gulf’s commercial technology infrastructure.
The development came one day after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to target major US technology companies operating in the Middle East, including Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Apple, widening concerns that digital and economic assets may increasingly come into the line of fire.
Amazon said on March 2 that two of its data center facilities in the United Arab Emirates and one in Bahrain sustained physical impacts from drone strikes.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched its Middle East (Bahrain) Region in July 2019 as its first cloud region in the Middle East. AWS said the Bahrain region consists of three Availability Zones and serves customers seeking lower-latency cloud infrastructure in the region.​​​​​​​

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