Shanghai Xingshu launches first constellation of its space-based computing project

Xingshu Tiansuan said the Tiansuan Constellation will be built in three phases as an open satellite platform

Shanghai Xingshu Tiansuan ​Space Technology Co. on Saturday said ‌it had launched the first constellation of a space-computing project that in total ​aims to deploy 1,000 satellites ​in space.

ingshu Tiansuan said the launch marked a step closer to the commercial operation of China's first space-based computing network.

The announcement coincided with Chinese President Xi Jinping's attendance at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, where he presented Beijing as a champion of a new global AI order.

Read More: China’s Xi calls for global AI order rooted in equity, cooperation

Following its merger with xAI in February, Elon Musk's SpaceX is also advancing its own space-based computing initiatives in an effort to accelerate AI development.

Advocates say transmitting only processed results back to Earth, rather than vast volumes of raw data, can reduce latency and ease pressure on bandwidth.

According to the Xingshu Tiansuan Space Technology website, TheTiansuan Constellation is an open satellite research platform designed to be completed in three phases:

the first phase includes 6 satellites, the second phase 24 satellites, and the third phase will expand to 300 satellites. This platform enables the global academic community to conduct experiments using actual satellites and to evaluate practical solutions, advancing the technology of satellite computing and networking.