On September 13th, one of the theme activities of the 19th Pujiang Innovation Forum, the "Pearl Embarks on Intelligent Computing Future" Space Computing Industry Ecological Forum, was successfully held in Shanghai. Under the guidance of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, this forum is jointly organized by the Small and Medium sized Enterprise Development Promotion Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Space Computing Services Professional Committee of the China Association for International Cooperation of Small and Medium sized Enterprises, and Shanghai Oriental Computing Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as "Oriental Computing"). Weng Qiwen, Director of the Small and Medium sized Enterprise Development Promotion Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Qu Wei, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, and Chen Yong, Deputy District Chief of the Xuhui District People's Government of Shanghai, attended and delivered speeches. Wang Jianyu, academician of the CAS Member, Wu Jiangxing, academician of the CAE Member, Hu Haiying, president of the Institute of Microsatellite Innovation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Peng Gui'e, managing partner of Huadeng, delivered keynote speeches. The purpose of this forum is to gather multiple forces from government, industry, academia, research, and application, to conduct in-depth exchanges on the innovation of space-based computing technology, the construction of industrial ecology, and the future development of industries. It aims to promote the verification of key technologies, the docking of industrial resources, and the landing of application scenarios, and jointly explore the path of large-scale and industrialized development of space-based computing.
During the forum, the "Pearl Constellation Plan" in Shanghai was officially launched. Academician Ding Kuiling, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Weng Qiwen, Director of the Small and Medium sized Enterprise Development Promotion Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Luo Dajin, Director of the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, Chen Yong, Deputy District Mayor of Xuhui District People's Government, Hu Haiying, Dean of the Institute of Micro Satellite Innovation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhou Qiushi, co-founder and CEO of Shanghai Oriental Computing Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as "Oriental Computing"), attended and witnessed the project launch together.
In response to national strategic needs and the evolution of future computing infrastructure, the "Pearl Constellation Plan" aims to build a "gigawatt (GW) level space-based computing constellation" as its long-term goal. It will continue to promote technological exploration in the areas of integrated computing power networks and space energy, and further extend intelligent computing capabilities from the ground to near Earth orbit. The plan is to gradually build a globally covered, coordinated, and independently controllable space intelligent computing infrastructure and service network by 2030.
The "Pearl" not only means the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the landmark of Shanghai, but also represents the important carrier of Shanghai's future space computing industry layout. The "Pearl Constellation Plan" will be led by Oriental Sky Computing as the main unit of the chain, and will be jointly promoted by scientific research institutions such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University and upstream and downstream partners in the industrial chain. It is an important layout for Shanghai to cultivate the future industry of space-based computing and build an integrated intelligent computing infrastructure for the sky and earth.
Building a full stack localization technology chain
Space based computing is a highly complex system engineering that involves complete and complex industrial chain collaboration. For long-term operation oriented space-based computing infrastructure, it is not only necessary to solve single point technological breakthroughs, but also to form independent technological capabilities and stable industrial support that run through hardware, software, network, and service systems.
As a result, the "Pearl Constellation Plan" focuses on building a full stack domestic technology chain and an independent and controllable industrial cooperation system, gradually forming a space-based computing industry ecosystem covering technology research and development, product development, in orbit verification, constellation construction, and scenario applications. During this forum, Oriental Sky Computing took the lead in signing the "Pearl Constellation" industry cooperation agreement with 27 industry chain partners, including the Micro Satellite Innovation Research Institute, Shanghai Space Power Research Institute, Alibaba Cloud, iFlytek, GCL Optoelectronics, JinkoSolar, Trina Solar, Boren Technology, and Tiantian Zhixin. They announced that they will jointly promote collaborative innovation in key aspects of constellation construction, such as computing chips, space energy, inter satellite communication, satellite platforms, computing payloads, and software services.
In the future, the "Pearl Constellation Plan" will also continue to carry out technological breakthroughs and engineering verifications in the areas of on-board intelligent computing payloads, in orbit intelligent services, inter satellite laser networking, space-based computing power cloud platforms, space new energy, and radiation resistant computing through deep collaboration of domestic software and hardware and joint innovation of the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain. This will further enhance the independent and controllable capabilities of space-based computing infrastructure in key technologies, core systems, and operational systems, and provide stable and reliable basic support for global intelligent services.
Gradually moving towards large-scale networking
Facing the 2030 construction goal, the "Pearl Constellation" will adopt a gradual construction path of "technology verification capability iteration scale networking". During the engineering verification phase, Dongfang Tianhua will continue to carry out in orbit verification around domestic computing power payloads, optical computing payloads, new energy systems, and other directions, verifying key technical capabilities in space-based computing infrastructure through different test satellites. After completing the phased technical verification, the "Pearl Constellation" will gradually enter the first batch of satellite deployment and constellation networking stages, and continue to improve the single satellite computing power and overall constellation capability by combining domestic carrying capacity and batch launch conditions. It will promote space computing power from single point technical verification to system level engineering construction and large-scale networking, and continue to explore directions such as on orbit deployment of large model satellites, intelligent weather warning, and ground intelligent agent cooperation.
In response to the strategic direction of accelerating the layout of future industries and promoting the integrated development of commercial aerospace and artificial intelligence, Shanghai is continuously cultivating emerging fields such as space-based computing, and promoting the formation of future industrial clusters with global competitiveness. The "Pearl Constellation Plan" is an important practice in Shanghai's layout of space-based computing infrastructure and exploration of an integrated intelligent computing system for the sky and earth. It will expand new industrial space for the deep integration of artificial intelligence and commercial aerospace in the future.
As the main unit of the "Pearl Constellation Plan", Oriental Sky Computing will continue to promote the verification of key technologies in space-based computing, the construction of constellation infrastructure, and the landing of industrial applications. It will work with industry chain partners to improve the independent and controllable space-based computing industry chain and innovation ecology, and contribute to Shanghai's efforts to build a global space computing innovation highland and serve the future industrial development of the country.
