By Mike Gruss
SpaceNews’ Sandra Erwin scored an exclusive recently on Intel developing a new processor that excels on orbit.
Here’s how the story begins:
Intel Corp., one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, has spent the past several years quietly developing a processor for satellites as the company looks to tap growing demand for onboard artificial intelligence and data processing in a market long served by specialized aerospace chip makers.
The processor, still undergoing testing, is designed for resilient, high-power performance in space — an environment too harsh and unforgiving for most hardware.
The new processor, named Starfire, is expected to initially be available to customers by the end of the year. Intel leaders expect it will be attractive to satellite customers.
From Sandra's story:
The company says the processor incorporates hardware and software features intended to mitigate radiation effects and is designed for missions lasting more than a decade.
A system-on-chip, or SoC, combines several computing functions in a single package. Unlike traditional satellite computers that may rely on separate chips for different tasks, Starfire integrates a central processing unit with graphics, neural and image processing capabilities. That would allow spacecraft to perform more sophisticated AI workloads while reducing the size, weight and power required onboard.
Readers may remember in March, the technology company NVIDIA announced it also wants to take an expanded role in space computing.
Nvidia unveiled a computing module designed for space missions and potential orbital data centers. The California-based company said that it is developing the Space-1 Vera Rubin Module, a computing system intended to bring more powerful AI processing to satellites and other space platforms.
Both the Intel and Nvidia stories fall along recurring trend lines.
The first is that speed matters. For years, customers who rely on space for information have said they don’t want data, they want intelligence. Meaning, they want information they can act on (read: already processed in orbit), not massive spreadsheets or databases or image libraries. Both of these moves show the value of speed.
But there’s a second trend as well, which is that as the space industry moves away from largely being the domain of rockets and satellites, the contracts and topics more commonly seen with IT modernization projects are becoming more notable.
Cybersecurity is being taken more seriously by government and industry leaders than ever before.
Space-related software contracts are receiving more attention, in part because they’re worth more. One of our better read stories this week was about Sphinx Defense winning a $287 million contract to develop ground software for the next generation of military satellite communications, including those that will underpin the nation’s strategic nuclear command, control and communications system.
For an upcoming feature, one space startup executive told us that the inside of a satellite best resembles the inside of a desktop computer.
In the early 1990s, Intel’s slogan was “Intel inside.” It may be increasingly true of satellites as well.
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