Beijing plans to launch massive data center in space

The Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, together with leading space research institutions and corporations in the city, intends to launch a space data center in the near-Earth dawn-dusk orbit, approximately 700-800 kilometers above Earth.

This announcement was made during a meeting held on Thursday by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Beijing Astro-Future Institute of Space Technology. The space data center will assemble a large-scale, centralized system with a power capacity surpassing 1 gigawatt.

It will include subsystems for space-based computing power, relay transmission, and ground control. Each sub-center of the system will be able to host server clusters with millions of capacity units.

The data center development will occur in three phases. From 2025 to 2027, the focus will be on addressing key technological challenges and launching the first phase of the computing constellation. From 2028 to 2030, the aim is to integrate Earth-based data processing with space-based computing power. By 2035, a large-scale space data center will be established, designed to support space-based computing.

To facilitate the development of the space data center, an innovation consortium has been formed. This consortium, led by the Beijing Astro-Future Institute of Space Technology and its corresponding enterprises, includes 24 organizations from across the industrial landscape.

It will focus on advancing the construction and applications of the space data center and on promoting its integration with cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), mobile communications, new materials, and renewable energy, to foster new business models in space-based information applications.

The first-generation experimental satellite for the data center has been successfully developed, and the launch is scheduled for late 2025 or early 2026.

The Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission has highlighted that this data center signifies a strategic integration of commercial space and AI technologies.

Beijing is committed to providing additional support for the project, positioning it as a key element in the city’s broader goal of becoming a global hub for scientific and technological innovation. This initiative aims to create new industrial chains and facilitate the commercial applications of space technology.