There China has started an ambitious project to build a Space supercomputer: a network of 2800 satellites Equipped with artificial intelligence capable of working together as a single, immense calculation machine in space. It is an avant -garde initiative led by the aerospace startup Ada Spacein collaboration with the Research Center Zhejiang Laband has already seen the launch of the first 12 satellites Thanks to a rocket Long March 2D. The constellation will be able to process data directly in orbit, drastically reducing the need to transmit information on Earth. It is a technological turning point that exploits the principle ofEdge Computingor the processing of data directly to the source, in this case in space, to increase efficiency and reduce response times.
At the center of the Chinese initiative is the idea that AI should no longer be confined to terrestrial devices, such as smartphones or laptops. He underlined it Wang Jiandirector of Zhejiang Labwhich considers the space a new “frontier on which we must think and plan the next 10, 20 or 50 years». The heart of the program is the constellation Three-Body Computinga structure in low orbit (between 500 and 2000 km of altitude) which already now has an aggregate calculation capacity of 5 peta-operations per second (i.e. 5 million billions) or pops and 30 shared memory terabyte.
How the China Space Supercomputer will work
The orbital supercomputer of China will be made up of a constellation of 2800 satellites. Each of these will work as a sort of “Mini Supercomputer”. Within each of these there will be an artificial intelligence system with 8 billion parameters and a computational power of 744 therapy per second (or Tops). This means that each unit will be able to independently manage images, signals and data collected by its sensors, developing them in real time without having to wait for the transmission towards the control centers on the ground. This approach will reduce dependence on the passing band, that is, the transmission capacity of satellite communications, and will allow you to manage much higher data volumes. Today, in fact, less than 10% of the data collected by the satellites are actually received on the ground, due to technical limits.
The project of the space supercomputer, called Three-Body Computing Constellation With reference to the problem of the three bodies, it represents the first phase of a network destined to reach a calculation power of 1000 petoflop – A huge figure, comparable to almost half of the power of the current more powerful terrestrial supercomputer. The infrastructure will be powered by solar energy and will take advantage of the low space temperatures to naturally cool systems. But why build a supercomputer in orbit? To deal with the growing challenges of the processing of data in real time, improve the management of space missions and enable new applications, such as the autonomous maintenance of satellites or the scientific analysis of cosmic phenomena.
One of the most interesting aspects of this project is the laser connection between satelliteswhich allows ultra-rapid communication up to 100 Gigabit per second (or Gbps). It is this system that allows satellites to synchronize and operate on the net as a single distributed supercomputer. Each satellite is also powered by solar panels.
The future of the Star Computing program
The processing of data in orbit has not only technical advantages: it will open the door to new practical applications. For example, artificial intelligence on board could allow the so -called in-orbit servicesthat is, the use of autonomous satellites to repair, supply or update other satellites in operation. It is a key step towards greater autonomy of space infrastructures, which could become more and more similar to autonomous ecosystems capable of replying and optimizing their operations.
In addition, the first satellites of the Chinese constellation will also be equipped with Advanced scientific tools. Among these, a polarized X -ray detector intended for the study of short and intense cosmic phenomena, such as gamma flashes, among the most energetic events of the observable universe.
At the moment the Star Computing program is only at the beginning, but by the end of the yearother launches are planned for bring up to 50 satellites in orbitin addition to the 12 already launched so far. Once the network is completed with all its 2,800 satellites, it will represent a digital infrastructure completely autonomous from the earth, capable of supporting scientific missions, civil applications and who knows what else.
