Lunar compute is usually discussed through power, latency, and custody. Dust deserves equal billing.
The Moon’s fine abrasive material behaves like a systems tax on every exposed surface, service joint, transfer path, and maintenance routine. A compute node can be shielded and powered correctly and still become more expensive than planned because dust keeps turning simple operations into precision operations.
This matters most in the maintenance chain. Filters foul faster. Robotic connectors need tighter tolerances. Replacement cycles shorten. Transit paths between storage, relay, and service bays become more procedural because contamination is easier to spread than to reverse.
Lunar compute will still happen because the continuity and sovereignty logic is strong. It just will not happen in a clean-room fantasy. The hardware will inherit the Moon’s abrasive reality before it enjoys the Moon’s strategic advantages.