As demand accelerates for satellite connectivity and AI in space, China's push into orbital computing is showing new momentum.
A consortium led by the commercial aerospace company Adaspace Technology, together with Zhejiang Lab and Xftechnology, announced recent progress in the so-called "Star Computing Program," an initiative backed by 54 partner organizations aimed at building a space-based computing ecosystem. The latest development comes from Xftechnology, which has introduced what it calls China's first domestically developed satellite computing module, signaling a shift in space-based AI from conceptual experimentation toward scalable, networked deployment.
The new module, known as the XH3118, is designed to address long-standing constraints in satellite-based AI inference—namely, limited computing power and restricted onboard memory. According to reports from state-affiliated media outlets, including People's Daily Online and Cailianpress, the module incorporates a proprietary mixed-precision quantization architecture that supports multi-precision inference.
Xftechnology claims the module delivers up to four times the inference throughput of current mainstream satellite chips, while reducing large-model memory usage by 50 percent, achieving what it describes as "double the computing power at the same energy consumption."
The company said the domestically developed module is intended to serve as a high-reliability, independently controlled computing engine for applications including space-based AI, remote-sensing data processing, and the so-called low-altitude economy, a sector encompassing drones and near-space services that Beijing has identified as a strategic growth area.
At the same time, efforts to standardize space-based computing and build a broader industrial ecosystem are gaining pace. The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology said it will host a symposium on computing and intelligent connectivity on January 26, where it plans to release a report on the forward-looking study on the development of space computing. Representatives from Adaspace Technology and Zhejiang Lab are expected to present updates on the Star Compute program and the Three-Body Computing Constellation, an experimental satellite network focused on distributed orbital computing.
The developments underscore China's broader strategy to reduce reliance on foreign technology while extending artificial intelligence capabilities beyond Earth, positioning space as a new frontier in the global competition over advanced computing.
Article edited by Jack Wu
