Part of the series:

How to Make Units Fast in No Man's Sky (2026): Every Money Method Ranked: Start here for the full money-making overview.

No Man's Sky Automated Mining: Mineral Extractors & Supply Depots: What your Salvaged Data unlocks.

No Man's Sky: How to Get Nanites Fast: Another conversion path for surplus data.

Quick Answer

Buried Technology Modules are the fastest source of Salvaged Data: scan with your Analysis Visor, dig them up, and collect the reward.
Each module yields 2–4 Salvaged Data.
Modules do not spawn on Dead planets or in Uncharted Systems: pick inhabited, lush, or hazardous planets instead.
The save/reload trick makes a single module repeatable: collect it, save your game, reload, and it respawns.
Spend your first haul on the Electromagnetic Generator, Mineral Extractor, Supply Depot, Gas Extractor, and Supply Pipe at the Construction Research Unit. Together these unlock passive resource farming.
Surplus Salvaged Data refines into Nanite Clusters (15 Nanites per unit of data). A solid secondary use once blueprints are done.
Technology merchants at Minor Settlements also sell Salvaged Data, and their stock refreshes on save/reload.

Overview

Salvaged Data is No Man's Sky's blueprint currency. You spend it at the Construction Research Unit (built at any base) or the Construction Research Station on the Space Anomaly to unlock base-building blueprints. Everything from power generators to mineral extractors to decorative furniture. Almost every passive income loop in the game sits behind a Salvaged Data paywall, so knowing how to farm it efficiently matters from your very first hours.

The primary source is Buried Technology Modules: partially underground caches scattered across most planet surfaces. Locating and digging these up is the core gameplay loop of early-to-mid progression, and with the right technique you can clear your entire essential blueprint list in a single focused session.

If you're still figuring out your footing on your starting planet, the No Man's Sky Early Game Checklist covers which resources to prioritize before you start hunting for data.

Finding Buried Technology Modules

Use the Analysis Visor

Hold the button to raise your Analysis Visor and scan the area. Buried Technology Modules appear as a grey, Wi-Fi-style signal icon a short distance below the ground. Tag the nearest one by highlighting it. The waypoint persists even after you lower your visor.

Walk toward the marker and switch to your Terrain Manipulator (a multi-tool secondary mode). Dig straight down at the marker's location. The module will be a few metres underground, not so deep that you can't reach it, but occasionally the terrain generation places one below the minimum diggable layer. If that happens, move on and find the next one. Some modules spawn close enough to the surface that you can simply walk over them and interact without digging at all.

Where Modules Spawn (and Where They Don't)

Planet Type	Buried Tech Modules?
Lush / Temperate	Yes
Toxic / Radioactive	Yes
Frozen / Scorched	Yes
Dead (barren, airless)	No
Uncharted System	No

Stick to inhabited star systems with atmosphered planets. Hazardous worlds work fine. The modules are underground and your Protection suit handles the surface exposure.

Buried Technology and Damaged Machinery (another underground POI) tend to cluster in the same areas. If you find one type, scan around. You'll often find the other type within walking distance, making sweeps of an area more efficient than running in a straight line.

Exocraft Speeds Things Up

Once you have access to an Exocraft, even the basic Roamer, covering ground between module markers is dramatically faster. The Exocraft's own scanner can also flag surface anomalies. If you're unsure how to get one, the No Man's Sky Base Building Guide for Beginners covers the Exocraft Terminal unlock.

The Save/Reload Method

This is the most efficient single-location farm available without any glitches or exploits.

Locate a Buried Technology Module.
Dig it up and collect the Salvaged Data.
Open your ship and manually save (or use a Save Point if you have one nearby). Boarding your ship also triggers an autosave, which works equally well.
Reload the save.
The module has respawned. Repeat.

The key constraint: the module must be a reasonable distance from your base. Modules very close to an active base sometimes fail to respawn normally. For a reliable loop, use a planet you're just visiting rather than one with a base on it.

This method is especially powerful when you first find a rich cluster of modules. You can cycle through several within a single area rather than wandering far afield.

Alternative Sources of Salvaged Data

Technology Merchants at Minor Settlements

Minor Settlements, small NPC outposts on planet surfaces, sometimes include a Technology Merchant who stocks Salvaged Data directly. If you find one:

Buy out their entire stock.
Save the game (or simply board your ship to trigger an autosave).
Reload. The merchant's inventory resets.
Repeat for as many cycles as you need.

This is arguably the most consistent farm once you've located a suitable settlement, because you never have to dig. Finding the settlement in the first place is the bottleneck. The most reliable method is to purchase Planetary Charts (Inhabited Outpost) from the Cartographer at any Space Station. Each chart has a chance of pointing you toward a Minor Settlement. Alternatively, the Signal Booster can be used to scan for Habitable Outposts, which may include Minor Settlements.

Companions

Tamed companion creatures can excavate resources while following you on a planet surface, and there is a chance they will dig up Salvaged Data on their own. This is a passive trickle rather than a primary farm, but it's worth keeping a companion active while you sweep a planet for modules.

Crashed Freighters

Crashed Freighters have storage containers scattered around the wreck site. Roughly one in five containers contains Salvaged Data. This isn't a dedicated farm, but if you're looting a freighter for other reasons (ship upgrades, units), grab the data while you're there. Our guide on how to get free ships from crashed salvage explains how to find freighter crash sites.

Nexus Missions

The Space Anomaly's Nexus board offers missions with Salvaged Data as a possible reward. The drop rate is better than local space-station missions, but it remains unreliable as a primary farm. Treat any Salvaged Data rewards from Nexus missions as a bonus rather than a goal.

Merchants Guild Reputation

Ranking up your standing with the Merchants Guild occasionally yields Salvaged Data as a gift. Again, this is a secondary trickle rather than a farming strategy.

What to Spend Salvaged Data On: Priority Order

The Construction Research Unit and Space Anomaly's Construction Research Station share a deep catalog. Far more blueprints than most players will ever need. Focus your early spending to unlock the passive income loop first.

Tier 1 — Unlock These First

Blueprint	Why It Matters
Supply Pipe	Connects all extractors and depots; nothing works without it
Electromagnetic Generator	Free, unlimited power from planetary hotspots
Mineral Extractor	Passively mines solid resources like Activated Indium
Supply Depot	Stores what your extractors produce so they don't idle
Gas Extractor	Farms atmospheric gases for late-game crafting

These five blueprints together unlock the full passive resource farming loop. Once your Activated Indium mining base is running, your unit income becomes largely hands-off.

Tier 2 — Quality of Life

Blueprint	Why It Matters
Save Point	Manual saves anywhere on a planet surface
Base Teleport Module	Fast travel between your bases
Medium Refiner	Two-ingredient refining recipes

Everything Else

The remaining catalog is mostly decorative base parts: walls, floors, furniture, lighting, and themed aesthetic pieces. These are worth browsing once your functional needs are covered, but there's no rush. If you're sitting on a large surplus of Salvaged Data with no immediate blueprint goals, convert the excess into Nanites.

Converting Surplus Salvaged Data to Nanites

Salvaged Data refines into Nanite Clusters at a rate of 15 Nanites per unit of data. This is useful once you've bought everything from Tier 1 and Tier 2: rather than hoarding data you'll never spend, run it through a Medium or Large Refiner and pocket the Nanites for technology upgrade modules.

Nanites are not easy to come by in bulk early on, so this conversion path gives Salvaged Data a permanent secondary value throughout the game.

What to Spend Salvaged Data On

Salvaged Data buys base part blueprints at the Space Anomaly's construction terminal. The base blueprints and unlocks guide ranks which groups to buy first.

FAQ

How many Salvaged Data does each Buried Technology Module give?

Each module yields 2–4 Salvaged Data when opened. Farm volume rather than hoping for large individual hauls.

Can I farm Buried Technology Modules on any planet?

Almost any atmosphered planet in a normal (non-Uncharted) system works. The main exceptions are Dead planets (barren, airless worlds with no atmosphere) which do not generate Buried Technology Modules. Any lush, toxic, radioactive, frozen, or scorched planet in a standard system is a valid farming location.

Do Buried Technology Modules respawn?

Yes, as long as the module is not too close to an active base. The save/reload method (collect, save, reload) causes them to respawn at the same location. This makes a single discovered module into a repeatable farm.

Is it worth buying Salvaged Data from Technology Merchants?

Yes, if you find a Minor Settlement with a Technology Merchant who stocks it. Buy their entire inventory, save (or board your ship), reload, and repeat. This removes the digging entirely and can be faster than walking between buried modules, depending on how well-stocked the merchant is.

Should I refine Salvaged Data into Nanites early on?

Not until you've unlocked the Tier 1 blueprints (Electromagnetic Generator, Mineral Extractor, Supply Depot, Gas Extractor, Supply Pipe). Those blueprints pay for themselves very quickly through passive resource income. Once those are done, refining surplus data into Nanites is a smart use of any excess.

What happens if a Buried Technology Module is too deep to dig?

Occasionally the terrain generator places a module below the minimum diggable ground layer. There's no way to reach it. Simply move on and scan for the next one. This is rare and not worth spending time on.

Key Takeaways

Scan with the Analysis Visor on any atmosphered planet (not Dead worlds or Uncharted Systems) to find Buried Technology Modules, which yield 2–4 Salvaged Data each.
The save/reload method turns any discovered module into a repeatable farm: collect, save (or board your ship), reload, repeat.
Technology Merchants at Minor Settlements offer a no-digging alternative; buy out their stock and reload to restock. Find settlements using Planetary Charts (Inhabited Outpost) from a Space Station Cartographer.
Spend your first Salvaged Data on the five Tier 1 blueprints (Supply Pipe, Electromagnetic Generator, Mineral Extractor, Supply Depot, Gas Extractor) to unlock passive resource farming.
After Tier 1 is complete, refine surplus data into Nanite Clusters (15 Nanites per unit) rather than hoarding it.
Exocraft make planet sweeps much faster. Unlock one early via the Base Building questline.
Buried Technology and Damaged Machinery tend to cluster together. Finding one type means the other is often nearby.
Companions can passively excavate Salvaged Data while following you on the surface. A free trickle on top of your active farming.

No Man's Sky Salvaged Data Farming: Buried Technology Modules Guide