China begins assembling its supercomputer in space
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Summary
China has launched the first 12 satellites of a planned 2,800-strong AI computational satellite network, which will be able to process the data they collect without the need for additional terrestrial support.
Created by the companies ADA Space, Zhijiang Laboratory and Neijang High-Tech Zone, each of the ‘Three-Body Computing Constellation’ satellites features an onboard eight-billion parameter AI model and is capable of 744 tera operations per second.
Collectively, the satellites will be capable of processing five peta operations per second, with each individual unit communicating with one another using lasers at speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second, while sharing 30 terabytes of storage.
The first batch of satellites, launched last week, are being used to trial scientific equipment, including an X-ray polarisation detector, as well as creating 3D digital twin data for use in emergencies, gaming and tourism.