Space supercomputing

FACTA

In May China fired 12 "smart" satellites into orbit. Each satellite carries an AI computer that can crunch about 744 trillion calculations every second and talks to its neighbours through 100 gigabit-per-second laser beams. Working together, the first dozen already reaches roughly 5 quadrillion calculations a second and store 30 terabytes of data. The builders plan to build a swarm of 2 800 satellites that could hit 1 000 peta-operations per second (about one quintillion calculations) and do most data-processing in space, powered by sunlight.

FUTURA

If space computers become normal, many industries will feel the change. Cloud services may shift heavy AI workloads into orbit, nudging tech giants toward radiation-hardened chips instead of ever-bigger ground data halls. Solar-powered space data hubs that dump excess heat into the vacuum would ease strain on power grids and trim carbon footprints. Meanwhile, governments could store sensitive information off-planet, sparking new debates over space security and cyber-rules.