China has put the world’s first orbital computing cloud into regular in-orbit operation, according to Science and Technology Daily. The platform, led by Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT), lets users run computing tasks and process data directly in space.
BUPT announced that the system has entered steady-state service. The platform connects satellites, space-based servers, ground stations, and data centers to manage computing tasks from start to finish.
The main problem it aims to solve is the need to send large amounts of satellite data back to Earth before processing it. Computing data in orbit can reduce the amount of information sent down and allow satellites to respond more quickly.
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The system has three main parts: an in-orbit computing platform, a ground station platform, and an operations platform. Users can submit tasks, install software, track their progress, and receive results through the same service system.
The platform has already been used for big-data processing, 6G communication tests, and distributed storage experiments. BUPT says it has completed hundreds of computing tasks for more than 100 users since entering service.
The system still has limits. Its orbital computing service coverage is currently above 10%, meaning the network does not yet provide broad coverage across all space-based computing needs. The reported performance figures also come from the project’s own testing and should be assessed as the system expands.
BUPT says the platform uses domestically developed hardware and software and can deliver large-model inference at 10 tokens per joule. Its software system is designed to let researchers deploy and update applications in orbit instead of treating every satellite experiment as a separate project.
The project could become more important as satellite networks and AI systems grow. Science and Technology Daily reported that the platform could help move space infrastructure from one-time hardware deployments toward services that can be continuously updated and operated.
Industry analyst Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Zhongguancun Modern Information Consumer Application Industry Technology Alliance, told the Global Times that the development could become a building block for China’s future space infrastructure.
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The platform is supported by the Tiansuan Constellation, an open-source space and satellite research platform started by a BUPT research team in 2021. If similar systems scale up, space-based computing could support faster satellite data processing, intelligent decision-making, and new services for satellite internet and commercial space companies.
