Rival to global data centres: China launches 12 AI satellites in bid to outpace Earth’s top supercomputers from space

China has taken a bold step toward redefining data processing by launching the first batch of satellites in its ambitious space computing constellation. At noon on Wednesday, a Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, carrying 12 AI-powered satellites capable of communicating through high-speed laser links. Dubbed the Three-Body Computing Constellation, this network is designed to match, and potentially surpass, the capabilities of the world’s most powerful supercomputers — but in orbit.

Developed by Zhejiang Lab, the Three-Body Computing Constellation represents a shift from Earth-bound data centers to space-based infrastructure. Once completed, the system is expected to deliver real-time, in-orbit processing at a staggering 1,000 peta operations per second (POPS), equivalent to one quintillion operations per second.

Jonathan McDowell, space historian and astronomer at Harvard University, said space-based cloud computing was "very fashionable" at the moment. “Orbital data centres can use solar power and radiate their heat to space, reducing the energy needs and carbon footprint,” he said. McDowell added that this launch marks "the first substantial flight test of the networking part of this concept."

As the demand for data surges, so does the strain on Earth’s energy and water resources. Global data centers are projected to consume over 1,000 terawatt hours of electricity annually by 2026, nearly equal to Japan’s total consumption. Cooling these facilities is also water-intensive — Google alone used 19.7 billion litres in 2022.

Currently, less than 10% of space-collected data reaches Earth, hampered by limited ground station access and narrow bandwidth. The new Chinese constellation seeks to change that. Each satellite is capable of 744 trillion operations per second and comes equipped with 30 terabytes of onboard storage and a space-based AI model with 8 billion parameters. High-speed laser links allow data transfer at up to 100 gigabits per second.

Beyond AI-driven data crunching, the constellation will be used for cross-orbit laser communications and astronomical experiments. The satellites' AI systems process raw data directly in orbit, bypassing the Earth-based bottlenecks.

Zhejiang Lab spearheaded the AI computing systems and orbital models, while Guoxing Aerospace handled satellite design and assembly. HiStarlink provided the laser communication terminals that underpin the network’s high-speed data exchange.