China has begun building what could become the world’s
first supercomputer in space. On May 14, a Long March 2D
rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center,
carrying 12 advanced satellites into orbit.
This marks the first phase of a larger effort to deploy
a space-based computing system capable of processing
massive amounts of data without relying on Earth-based
infrastructure. Led by ADA Space and Zhejiang Lab, the
project aims to build a 2,800-satellite network known
as the Three-Body Computing Constellation.
Designed to perform high-speed data processing directly
in orbit, the constellation represents a major shift in
how artificial intelligence may be deployed beyond
Earth—and signals China’s growing lead in the race
to bring supercomputing power to space.
. . .
This is kind of strange ...
Not entirely sure of the POINT in building anything
quite like this in orbit.
SOUNDS like they're implementing a distributed computing
setup, with each sat as a 'motherbox' of a sort ... and
the overall OS will be able to use on or many to do a
given task. This kind of cluster computing is perfectly
common on the ground (think Google runs on ONE box ?)
but in SPACE, with the inherent delays between the
nodes, VERY weird.
'AI' ... maybe some kind of "global mind" is imagined ?
'Security' ... it WOULD be hard to take out a LOT of
these things in orbit. Take out a few, the system
just runs a little slower, but still runs.
China sometimes "thinks differently". Anybody got a
clue WHY they'd want to invest so much in this ???
It is beyond 'StarLink' in potential, yet does not
seem to be a simple internet system like StarLink.
Hmm ... does it run on Plan-9 ? That was meant for
this sort of computing long back - and it's free,
if you wanna deal with its oddness. RHEL is also
commonly used for these sorts of clusters.
On 03/06/2025 03:20, c186282 wrote:
Unlimited solar power?
On 03/06/2025 03:20, c186282 wrote:
Unlimited solar power?
Probably preparing foundational technology to push deeper into space.
At certain distance, latency to ground DC becomes a problem.
There are some interesting large-scale reliability issues to resolve
here, mainly radiation tolerance and cooling.
Best regards,
Chris Narkiewicz
https://greekreporter.com/2025/06/03/china-world-first-supercomputer-space/
China has begun building what could become the world's
first supercomputer in space. On May 14, a Long March 2D
rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center,
carrying 12 advanced satellites into orbit.
. . .
This is kind of strange ...
Not entirely sure of the POINT in building anything
quite like this in orbit.
SOUNDS like they're implementing a distributed computing
setup, with each sat as a 'motherbox' of a sort ... and
the overall OS will be able to use on or many to do a
given task. This kind of cluster computing is perfectly
common on the ground (think Google runs on ONE box ?)
but in SPACE, with the inherent delays between the
nodes, VERY weird.
[ snip alt. groups that the news server I use doesn't know about ]
In comp.os.linux.misc c186282 <[email protected]> wrote:
https://greekreporter.com/2025/06/03/china-world-first-supercomputer-space/ >>
China has begun building what could become the world's
first supercomputer in space. On May 14, a Long March 2D
rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center,
carrying 12 advanced satellites into orbit.
. . .
This is kind of strange ...
Not entirely sure of the POINT in building anything
quite like this in orbit.
SOUNDS like they're implementing a distributed computing
setup, with each sat as a 'motherbox' of a sort ... and
the overall OS will be able to use on or many to do a
given task. This kind of cluster computing is perfectly
common on the ground (think Google runs on ONE box ?)
but in SPACE, with the inherent delays between the
nodes, VERY weird.
Optical communication works in space without fibre-optics so I'm
not sure why inter-satellite communication delays would be an
issue.
See this article: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3990472/china-takes-edge-computing-to-orbit-with-first-space-based-processing-network.html
They expect link speeds to match fibre-optics, and avoid the round
trip of Earth -> space -> Earth -> Space -> Earth which satellite
internet networks currently encounter. I was already wondering if
something like this would happen - something like Starlink offering on-satellite VPSs, but of course everything's AI-focused now while
that hype train is still rolling.
The other thing I was wondering, which the that article also touches
on, is the legal aspect. Already satellite internet allows people to circumvent content restrictions imposed on terrestrial ISPs in their
country to browse foreign websites. If illegal content like pirated
videos is hosted in space, can anyone force it to be taken down?
Could we get a contellation of pirate and porn satellites that
operate outside the law (assuming the law can be tricked into
letting them get launched)? What if a satellite-server gets hacked?
There's nobody up there to pull the plug, access to it could be
traded illegally for the rest of its lifetime. If a whole
constellation got hacked that could really ammount to something.
Or is this finally a commercial use for space stations - somewhere
that the orbiting internet can be fixed from?
On 03/06/2025 03:20, c186282 wrote:
https://greekreporter.com/2025/06/03/china-world-first-supercomputer-space/ >>
China has begun building what could become the world’s
first supercomputer in space. On May 14, a Long March 2D
rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center,
carrying 12 advanced satellites into orbit.
This marks the first phase of a larger effort to deploy
a space-based computing system capable of processing
massive amounts of data without relying on Earth-based
infrastructure. Led by ADA Space and Zhejiang Lab, the
project aims to build a 2,800-satellite network known
as the Three-Body Computing Constellation.
Designed to perform high-speed data processing directly
in orbit, the constellation represents a major shift in
how artificial intelligence may be deployed beyond
Earth—and signals China’s growing lead in the race
to bring supercomputing power to space.
. . .
This is kind of strange ...
Not entirely sure of the POINT in building anything
quite like this in orbit.
SOUNDS like they're implementing a distributed computing
setup, with each sat as a 'motherbox' of a sort ... and
the overall OS will be able to use on or many to do a
given task. This kind of cluster computing is perfectly
common on the ground (think Google runs on ONE box ?)
but in SPACE, with the inherent delays between the
nodes, VERY weird.
'AI' ... maybe some kind of "global mind" is imagined ?
'Security' ... it WOULD be hard to take out a LOT of
these things in orbit. Take out a few, the system
just runs a little slower, but still runs.
China sometimes "thinks differently". Anybody got a
clue WHY they'd want to invest so much in this ???
It is beyond 'StarLink' in potential, yet does not
seem to be a simple internet system like StarLink.
Hmm ... does it run on Plan-9 ? That was meant for
this sort of computing long back - and it's free,
if you wanna deal with its oddness. RHEL is also
commonly used for these sorts of clusters.
Unlimited solar power?
--Um. Your .sig is damaged
A PICKER OF UNCONSIDERED TRIFLES
On 6/4/25 3:56 AM, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
[ snip alt. groups that the news server I use doesn't know about ]
In comp.os.linux.misc c186282 <[email protected]> wrote:
https://greekreporter.com/2025/06/03/china-world-first-supercomputer-space/ >>>
China has begun building what could become the world's
first supercomputer in space. On May 14, a Long March 2D
rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center,
carrying 12 advanced satellites into orbit.
. . .
This is kind of strange ...
Not entirely sure of the POINT in building anything
quite like this in orbit.
SOUNDS like they're implementing a distributed computing
setup, with each sat as a 'motherbox' of a sort ... and
the overall OS will be able to use on or many to do a
given task. This kind of cluster computing is perfectly
common on the ground (think Google runs on ONE box ?)
but in SPACE, with the inherent delays between the
nodes, VERY weird.
Optical communication works in space without fibre-optics so I'm
not sure why inter-satellite communication delays would be an
issue.
See this article:
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3990472/china-takes-edge-computing-to-orbit-with-first-space-based-processing-network.html
They expect link speeds to match fibre-optics, and avoid the round
trip of Earth -> space -> Earth -> Space -> Earth which satellite
internet networks currently encounter. I was already wondering if
something like this would happen - something like Starlink offering
on-satellite VPSs, but of course everything's AI-focused now while
that hype train is still rolling.
The other thing I was wondering, which the that article also touches
on, is the legal aspect. Already satellite internet allows people to
circumvent content restrictions imposed on terrestrial ISPs in their
country to browse foreign websites. If illegal content like pirated
videos is hosted in space, can anyone force it to be taken down?
Could we get a contellation of pirate and porn satellites that
operate outside the law (assuming the law can be tricked into
letting them get launched)? What if a satellite-server gets hacked?
There's nobody up there to pull the plug, access to it could be
traded illegally for the rest of its lifetime. If a whole
constellation got hacked that could really ammount to something.
Or is this finally a commercial use for space stations - somewhere
that the orbiting internet can be fixed from?
My concern is not with the underlying TECH- but
the underlying INTENT.
You don't invest THIS much without INTENT.
My concern is not with the underlying TECH- but
the underlying INTENT.
You don't invest THIS much without INTENT.
In comp.os.linux.misc c186282 <[email protected]> wrote:
My concern is not with the underlying TECH- but
the underlying INTENT.
The driving force now is probably military applications. Various
autonomous fighting machines in Ukraine have shown the usefullness
of Starlink in wartime, and that's prompted China to renew work on
building an internet constellation of their own. Then, this AI
constellation might be useful for efficiently processing all the
data from thousands of drones swarming over our heads come WWIII.
But it's too early to tell where they'll really go with that.
You don't invest THIS much without INTENT.
It's not clear how much they've invested at this stage, having only
launched the first 12 satellites of the planned thousands. These announcements are prone to vapour-ware, there was the Chinese
"LinkSure" company in 2018 who were launching a free global
internet constellation like what Starlink's became: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-30/chinese-company-to-provide-free-internet-worldwide-by-2026/10568434
There's not much news since, that I can find, but this page claims
it's cancelled:
https://www.newspace.im/constellations/linksure
But there are new Chinese Starlink clone projects that are gaining
more traction now: https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/12/china-orbits-first-guowang-internet-satellites-with-thousands-more-to-come/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guowang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qianfan
On 04/06/2025 09:15, c186282 wrote:
On 6/4/25 3:56 AM, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
[ snip alt. groups that the news server I use doesn't know about ]
In comp.os.linux.misc c186282 <[email protected]> wrote:
https://greekreporter.com/2025/06/03/china-world-first-supercomputer-space/
China has begun building what could become the world's
first supercomputer in space. On May 14, a Long March 2D
rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center,
carrying 12 advanced satellites into orbit.
. . .
This is kind of strange ...
Not entirely sure of the POINT in building anything
quite like this in orbit.
SOUNDS like they're implementing a distributed computing
setup, with each sat as a 'motherbox' of a sort ... and
the overall OS will be able to use on or many to do a
given task. This kind of cluster computing is perfectly
common on the ground (think Google runs on ONE box ?)
but in SPACE, with the inherent delays between the
nodes, VERY weird.
Optical communication works in space without fibre-optics so I'm
not sure why inter-satellite communication delays would be an
issue.
See this article:
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3990472/china-takes-edge-computing-to-orbit-with-first-space-based-processing-network.html
They expect link speeds to match fibre-optics, and avoid the round
trip of Earth -> space -> Earth -> Space -> Earth which satellite
internet networks currently encounter. I was already wondering if
something like this would happen - something like Starlink offering
on-satellite VPSs, but of course everything's AI-focused now while
that hype train is still rolling.
The other thing I was wondering, which the that article also touches
on, is the legal aspect. Already satellite internet allows people to
circumvent content restrictions imposed on terrestrial ISPs in their
country to browse foreign websites. If illegal content like pirated
videos is hosted in space, can anyone force it to be taken down?
Could we get a contellation of pirate and porn satellites that
operate outside the law (assuming the law can be tricked into
letting them get launched)? What if a satellite-server gets hacked?
There's nobody up there to pull the plug, access to it could be
traded illegally for the rest of its lifetime. If a whole
constellation got hacked that could really ammount to something.
Or is this finally a commercial use for space stations - somewhere
that the orbiting internet can be fixed from?
My concern is not with the underlying TECH- but
the underlying INTENT.
You don't invest THIS much without INTENT.
As with Russia, don't overestimate Chinas competence.
There are credible analyses suggesting they lost *half* their
population fromn Covid and it wasn't what they claimed in the first
place, and that their economy is in freefall and Xi Ping is being
'replaced'/
How true any of this is, we wont know. The CCP keeps its problems well hidden, but the prices some stuff is being flogged off at on e.g. Ali
Express suggests they have huge product surpluses and no local buyers.
There are credible analyses suggesting they lost *half* their
population fromn Covid ...
On 6/4/25 7:21 PM, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
In comp.os.linux.misc c186282 <[email protected]> wrote:
My concern is not with the underlying TECH- but
the underlying INTENT.
The driving force now is probably military applications. Various
autonomous fighting machines in Ukraine have shown the usefullness
of Starlink in wartime, and that's prompted China to renew work on
building an internet constellation of their own. Then, this AI
constellation might be useful for efficiently processing all the
data from thousands of drones swarming over our heads come WWIII.
But it's too early to tell where they'll really go with that.
However, this does not seem to be another StarLink ... that
is not what they're talking about. China already has lots
of comm sats - and likely the codes to take over StarLink
and friends in a pinch.
You don't invest THIS much without INTENT.
It's not clear how much they've invested at this stage, having only
launched the first 12 satellites of the planned thousands. These
announcements are prone to vapour-ware, there was the Chinese
"LinkSure" company in 2018 who were launching a free global
internet constellation like what Starlink's became:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-30/chinese-company-to-provide-free-internet-worldwide-by-2026/10568434
There's not much news since, that I can find, but this page claims
it's cancelled:
https://www.newspace.im/constellations/linksure
But there are new Chinese Starlink clone projects that are gaining
more traction now:
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/12/china-orbits-first-guowang-internet-satellites-with-thousands-more-to-come/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guowang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qianfan
China, of course, wants more global net. However the
means to THAT is much simpler than this project. WHY
create a cluster super-computer in orbit ?
In comp.os.linux.misc c186282 <[email protected]> wrote:
On 6/4/25 7:21 PM, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
In comp.os.linux.misc c186282 <[email protected]> wrote:
My concern is not with the underlying TECH- but
the underlying INTENT.
The driving force now is probably military applications. Various
autonomous fighting machines in Ukraine have shown the usefullness
of Starlink in wartime, and that's prompted China to renew work on
building an internet constellation of their own. Then, this AI
constellation might be useful for efficiently processing all the
data from thousands of drones swarming over our heads come WWIII.
But it's too early to tell where they'll really go with that.
However, this does not seem to be another StarLink ... that
is not what they're talking about. China already has lots
of comm sats - and likely the codes to take over StarLink
and friends in a pinch.
You don't think they'd connect this AI constellation to their comms
sats? Seems inevitable to me.
You don't invest THIS much without INTENT.
It's not clear how much they've invested at this stage, having only
launched the first 12 satellites of the planned thousands. These
announcements are prone to vapour-ware, there was the Chinese
"LinkSure" company in 2018 who were launching a free global
internet constellation like what Starlink's became:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-30/chinese-company-to-provide-free-internet-worldwide-by-2026/10568434
There's not much news since, that I can find, but this page claims
it's cancelled:
https://www.newspace.im/constellations/linksure
But there are new Chinese Starlink clone projects that are gaining
more traction now:
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/12/china-orbits-first-guowang-internet-satellites-with-thousands-more-to-come/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guowang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qianfan
China, of course, wants more global net. However the
means to THAT is much simpler than this project. WHY
create a cluster super-computer in orbit ?
Well I talked about that before and you said "My concern is not
with the underlying TECH", so I give up.
On Wed, 4 Jun 2025 11:44:24 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
There are credible analyses suggesting they lost *half* their
population fromn Covid ...
Did you get this information from the same source that said Covid was a
hoax?
My concern is not with the underlying TECH- but
the underlying INTENT.
You don't invest THIS much without INTENT.
As with Russia, don't overestimate Chinas competence.
There are credible analyses suggesting they lost *half* their
population fromn Covid
and it wasn't what they claimed in the first place,
How true any of this is, we wont know.
The CCP keeps its problems well
hidden, but the prices some stuff is being flogged off at on e.g. Ali
Express suggests they have huge product surpluses and no local buyers.
[En-tête "Followup-To:" positionné à comp.os.linux.misc.]
Le 04-06-2025, The Natural Philosopher <[email protected]d> a écrit :
As with Russia, don't overestimate Chinas competence.
There are credible analyses suggesting they lost *half* their
population fromn Covid
That's the joke of the year. Are you that stupid or do you pretend to?
Do you really believe twice the population of the USA could vanish with nobody realising it?
Is there a reason for the virus to be a million times deadlier in the
USA than in the rest of the world?
Do you believe the vaccine has been designed to kill people to?
China claimed it had 1.4 billion population. Evidence suggests it wasand it wasn't what they claimed in the first place,
Of course they didn't claimed that. I never heard about it but it's
obviously pure bullshit.
How true any of this is, we wont know.
Who is "we"? When you say "we" that mean you aren't the only one in the
world believing that.
The CCP keeps its problems well
hidden, but the prices some stuff is being flogged off at on e.g. Ali
Express suggests they have huge product surpluses and no local buyers.
If it was halfway true, the consequences would be way more visible.
On 06/06/2025 20:06, Stéphane CARPENTIER wrote:
[En-tête "Followup-To:" positionné à comp.os.linux.misc.]
Le 04-06-2025, The Natural Philosopher <[email protected]d> a écrit :
China claimed it had 1.4 billion population. Evidence suggests it was
less than a billion before covid and may be around half a billion now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM57HhM8yV8
How true any of this is, we wont know.
Who is "we"? When you say "we" that mean you aren't the only one in the
world believing that.
No,. I am not.
The CCP keeps its problems well
hidden, but the prices some stuff is being flogged off at on e.g. Ali
Express suggests they have huge product surpluses and no local buyers.
If it was halfway true, the consequences would be way more visible.
They are.
If you bother to look
There are credible analyses suggesting they lost *half* their
population fromn Covid and it wasn't what they claimed in the first
place, and that their economy is in freefall and Xi Ping is being
'replaced'/
On 2025-06-04 12:44, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
...
There are credible analyses suggesting they lost *half* their
population fromn Covid and it wasn't what they claimed in the first
place, and that their economy is in freefall and Xi Ping is being
'replaced'/
Credible to you, I'd say. Not to the rest of the world, the idea is just laughable.
c186282 <[email protected]> writes:
My concern is not with the underlying TECH- but
the underlying INTENT.
You don't invest THIS much without INTENT.
The intent is always to grow, be better, bolder and more
capable.
Le 06-06-2025, The Natural Philosopher <[email protected]d> a écrit :
On 06/06/2025 21:47, Carlos E.R. wrote:
On 2025-06-04 12:44, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
...
There are credible analyses suggesting they lost *half* their
population fromn Covid and it wasn't what they claimed in the first
place, and that their economy is in freefall and Xi Ping is being
'replaced'/
Credible to you, I'd say. Not to the rest of the world, the idea is just >>> laughable.
Watch the links I posted.
The trouble with Americans is they simply have no idea what the rest of
the world is like
You are funnier with every message. It's impressive.
On 06/06/2025 21:47, Carlos E.R. wrote:
On 2025-06-04 12:44, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
...
There are credible analyses suggesting they lost *half* their
population fromn Covid and it wasn't what they claimed in the first
place, and that their economy is in freefall and Xi Ping is being
'replaced'/
Credible to you, I'd say. Not to the rest of the world, the idea is just
laughable.
Watch the links I posted.
The trouble with Americans is they simply have no idea what the rest of
the world is like
You are funnier with every message. It's impressive.
In <68441243$0$28069$[email protected]> Stéphane:
[Snip...]
You are funnier with every message. It's impressive.
+1
Like Margaret Thatcher's still in charge, screeching about Britain Uber Alles.
On 6/7/25 8:29 AM, Harold Stevens wrote:
In <68441243$0$28069$[email protected]> Stéphane:
[Snip...]
You are funnier with every message. It's impressive.
+1
Like Margaret Thatcher's still in charge, screeching about Britain
Uber Alles.
Ummmmm ... I think Maggie was more right than wrong.
Today's UK - broke and broken. It's an inch from
falling into deadly chaos. When Vlad takes over
"for humanitarian reasons" many may PREFER it ...
However little of this has to do with Linux.
You think Vladdies little Empire will last the year out?
On Sun, 8 Jun 2025 10:18:34 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
You think Vladdies little Empire will last the year out?
You think Zelensky will last the year out?
On 08/06/2025 03:18, c186282 wrote:
On 6/7/25 8:29 AM, Harold Stevens wrote:wow!
In <68441243$0$28069$[email protected]> Stéphane:
[Snip...]
You are funnier with every message. It's impressive.
+1
Like Margaret Thatcher's still in charge, screeching about Britain
Uber Alles.
Ummmmm ... I think Maggie was more right than wrong.
Today's UK - broke and broken. It's an inch from
falling into deadly chaos. When Vlad takes over
"for humanitarian reasons" many may PREFER it ...
You think Vladdies little Empire will last the year out?
On 6/8/25 5:18 AM, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 08/06/2025 03:18, c186282 wrote:
On 6/7/25 8:29 AM, Harold Stevens wrote:wow!
In <68441243$0$28069$[email protected]> Stéphane:
[Snip...]
You are funnier with every message. It's impressive.
+1
Like Margaret Thatcher's still in charge, screeching about Britain
Uber Alles.
Ummmmm ... I think Maggie was more right than wrong.
Today's UK - broke and broken. It's an inch from
falling into deadly chaos. When Vlad takes over
"for humanitarian reasons" many may PREFER it ...
You think Vladdies little Empire will last the year out?
People have been saying that for about 20 years now ...
He's got it rigged - ultimate power until he
drops dead of natural causes.
On 09/06/2025 01:57, c186282 wrote:
On 6/8/25 5:18 AM, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
wow!
You think Vladdies little Empire will last the year out?
People have been saying that for about 20 years now ...
He's got it rigged - ultimate power until he
drops dead of natural causes.
Natural causes. Yeah. Rigjht. Gravity while standing on a 13th floor
balcony :-
"Capable" HOW ???
You're missing the 'intent' angle here.
Every civilization - unless mentally crippled - wants to grow. Nothing
new under the sun.
c186282 <[email protected]> writes:
"Capable" HOW ???
Being able tu sustain large compute in space, where radiation, power and
heat management are not well understood problems. Creating a supply
chain to provide specialized computing solutions for that environment.
Any actor seriously thinking about space exploration must leverage computationaly heavy AI tools. Ping to mars is 4h. Can't do anything
remotely sitting in Dallas.
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