In the AI era, it's not uncommon to consider petabyte-sized storage capabilities in a wide range of data centers, designed for running AI workloads and cloud-based computing. However, when it comes to petabyte-sized storage capabilities orbiting the Earth, on the Lunar surface, or somewhere in deep space, it is no longer the realm of science fiction.
Axiom Space and Spacebilt Inc. have announced that they are collaborating with a range of technology leaders to bring "optically-interconnected orbital data center (ODC)" infrastructure and technology to the International Space Station, or ISS, in 2027.
Popular Now: DLSS 5 has been modded into Skyrim, and it definitely transforms character facesOne of the partners for this exciting and ambitious project is Phison Electronics, where Pascari enterprise-grade SSDs will deliver over one petabyte of storage to the Axiom Orbital Data Center Node (AxODC). These will be paired with PIC64-HPSC processors from Microchip to enable AI acceleration and high-end computing in space.
And it doesn't stop there, as the AxODC will also include networking for high-speed connectivity between the ISS-based data center node and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, as well as other spacecraft. In addition to being powerful enough to run AI workloads, the advanced hardware and storage will also enable astronauts and scientists to store, process, and conduct data-intensive research without needing to send data back to Earth.
"We are committed to enabling storage in space as the next data frontier," K.S. Pua, CEO and Founder, Phison Electronics. "To support this launch and bring unmatched, petabyte-level storage capacity in an ODC environment, Phison is providing Pascari enterprise SSDs as the foundation for the AxODC Node aboard the International Space Station. Pascari delivers petabyte-class storage, tested for the harsh environments in space and primed to travel to low-Earth orbit for the first time. This milestone demonstrates how our innovations in high-performance storage are extending beyond data centers on Earth to enable the next era of space-based computing and AI."
