In a historic move, China’s space agency CASC has launched a dozen satellites into orbit. These satellites are the first batch of a planned 2,800-strong constellation that will form a space-based supercomputer network. Launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center using a Long March 2D rocket, this milestone marks the beginning of a new era in space-based computing.
Each satellite is equipped with an AI model boasting 8 billion parameters and can process data at speeds of up to 5 POPS or 744 TOPS. They can communicate with each other at blazing speeds of 100Gbps using laser technology. With 30 terabytes of storage on each satellite, they’re powered by solar energy, making them environmentally friendly.
These satellites are part of the Three-Body Computing Constellation project, a brainchild of ADA Space’s Star Compute initiative. They’re designed to process vast amounts of data in space, such as satellite images, weather data, and disaster management information, without needing to transmit it back to Earth for processing. This capability will revolutionize the way we handle data from space, saving time and increasing efficiency.
On board the satellites are scientific instruments like an X-ray polarization detector, which can detect cosmic phenomena like gamma-ray bursts. They can also create 3D models of locations, useful for emergency response, gaming, and tourism. The ability to process data in space will greatly reduce latency and enable faster decision-making.
This network of 2,800 satellites, powered by AI, will have a combined processing power of 1,000 POPS, surpassing the capabilities of the US’s El Capitan supercomputer, which can process 1.72 POPS. This means China’s space-based supercomputer will be approximately 600 times more powerful.
While the US and Europe have experimented with edge computing in space, China is the first to create a space-based supercomputer using a satellite network. This development marks a significant milestone in the quest for more efficient and powerful computing capabilities.
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