China launches first AI satellites to build world's first supercomputer in orbit
has launched the first batch of satellites for its ambitious space-based supercomputing project, the Three-Body Computing Constellation. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, carrying 12 AI-powered satellites into orbit on May 14.
Each satellite is equipped with intelligent computing systems and high-speed laser communication links, enabling it to process data directly in space.
This marks a significant shift from traditional methods, where satellites collect data and transmit it back to Earth for processing, due to which less than 10 per cent of the collected data typically makes it back to Earth, often with significant delays.
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Developed by Zhejiang Lab, a research institute backed by the Zhejiang provincial government, the constellation aims to achieve a total computing capacity of 1,000 peta operations per second (POPS), or one quintillion operations per second, once fully deployed.
For context, the El Capitan
supercomputer
at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, considered one of the world's most powerful, achieves over 1.72 POPS.
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Jonathan McDowell, a space historian and astronomer at
Harvard University
, commented on the significance of this development: 'Orbital data centres can use solar power and radiate their heat to space, reducing the energy needs and carbon footprint,' he said. He added that this launch represents "the first substantial flight test of the networking part of this concept".
The satellites are interconnected through high-speed laser links capable of data transfer rates up to 100 gigabits per second. Collectively, the initial network offers a combined computing power of 5 POPS and 30 terabytes of on-board storage. They also carry a
space-based AI model
with 8 billion parameters, capable of processing raw satellite data directly in orbit.
Guoxing Aerospace, an AI satellite developer based in Chengdu, was responsible for developing the intelligent satellite platforms and overseeing satellite assembly. HiStarlink, a start-up specialising in laser communications, developed the high-speed optical terminals that enable data transfer between satellites in the network.
Data centres worldwide are projected to consume over 1,000 terawatt hours of electricity annually by 2026, equivalent to Japan's entire electricity consumption. Cooling these facilities also requires vast amounts of water; for instance, Google used 19.7 billion litres (5.2 billion gallons) to cool its data centres in 2022 alone.
By processing data directly in orbit, the Three-Body Computing Constellation could alleviate the strain on terrestrial resources and infrastructure. This development not only positions China at the forefront of space-based computing but also sets the stage for a new era in how humanity processes and manages data.
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