First Space-hardened Nvidia AI GPU will be launched by SpaceX on a future ridesharing trip

The last frontier will soon be conquered by AI thanks to a significant advancement. SpaceX's Transporter 11 mission will shortly carry an Nvidia Jetson Orin NX chip, which is one of the most well-liked GPUs for AI and edge computing.

Even though artificial intelligence (AI) has been all the rage lately, its implementation in space has been sluggish. Ionized particles and cosmic rays pound satellites outside Earth's atmosphere, endangering their electronics. Computers need to be hardened—made of durable materials and built to endure severe radiation doses—in order to survive in space. But it takes years to build a computer that is suitable for space. As a result, satellite makers frequently have to settle for processors that are relatively outdated.

Cosmic Shielding Corporation (CSC), a spin-out from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, is situated in Georgia and believes it has an answer for the issue. The business has created a unique nanocomposite shielding metamaterial that stops the charged particles in their tracks. It is a type of polymer with nanoparticles scattered throughout (the precise makeup is a trade secret).

The lightweight material was previously examined by CSC during an eight-month experiment at the International Space Station and in particle accelerators on Earth. However, the shielding will shield an actual AI computer on a space mission for the first time on Transporter 11, a SpaceX rideshare mission that might launch as early as this Friday, August 16.

The CEO and cofounder of CSC, Yanni Barghouty, told Space.com that "this is going to be the fastest AI computer ever launched to space." "The goal of this mission is simply to demonstrate the successful operation of an AI-capable Nvidia GPU on orbit with minimal to no errors while operating."

The GPU will be installed on a cubesat manufactured by Aethero, a San Francisco-based manufacturer of powerful, space-rated computers. During its four-month orbital mission, the GPU will only be required to perform mathematical computations, the output of which will be sent back to Earth for meticulous verification.

Errors are "one of the main effects of space radiation," according to Barghouty. Because AI-capable GPUs have a large number of transistors that perform calculations in parallel, they are especially susceptible to it. Numerous transistors are frequently impacted when one is damaged."

Barghouty believes that if the test is successful, the satellite business will truly enter the AI era. Established satellite producers and Earth observation companies are already putting a lot of demand on CSC for its shielding in an effort to be able to handle and analyze photos directly on board spacecraft. The debut of AI in space is highly awaited since it will open up a wide range of new missions that call for sophisticated image processing and visual navigation, such as active space debris avoidance and removal, as well as in-orbit manufacturing and servicing.

"Every single one of these companies is interested in using the most modern AI-capable hardware," said Barghouty. "On Earth, AI is having a massive effect on efficiency of electronic systems, and the space industry wants to tap into that. For years, Moore's law only applied on Earth. But with our technology, it will also apply in orbit."

Additionally, the shielding will prolong the life of computers in space, resulting in cost savings and mission longevity. According to Barghouty, the same material may also be utilized in spacesuits and to shield future space stations and lunar settlements from radiation.

"As a company, we are working on several areas across the board," stated Barghouty. "A success here will open the door for the other applications as well."