Orbital has filed for clearance with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deploy a constellation of 100,000 satellites aimed at creating space-based data centres to support artificial intelligence workloads. The company plans to leverage this network to provide high-capacity, low-latency data processing for AI applications, marking a significant step in satellite-enabled computing infrastructure, according to economictimes.indiatimes.com.
The filing details Orbital's vision to build data centres in orbit, which would process AI data closer to the source, reducing latency compared to terrestrial centres. The satellite constellation is designed to operate in low Earth orbit, enabling rapid data transmission and scalable computing power. Orbital's approach involves integrating satellite technology with AI processing capabilities, a move that could redefine how AI workloads are managed globally, economictimes.indiatimes.com reports.
This initiative comes amid growing demand for AI compute resources and the limitations of ground-based data centres in terms of latency and bandwidth. Orbital's plan aligns with broader industry trends where companies are exploring satellite constellations to enhance connectivity and computing. Comparable efforts include SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper, though Orbital's focus on AI data centres distinguishes its strategy within the satellite internet and cloud computing sectors, per economictimes.indiatimes.com.
The FCC's decision on Orbital's application will be closely watched, as approval would enable the company to proceed with its large-scale satellite deployment. The constellation's scale—100,000 satellites—would be among the largest proposed, potentially transforming AI infrastructure by mid-decade, according to economictimes.indiatimes.com.