China Unites IT Sector to Build Orbital AI Data Centers Without Ground Networks

Chinese authorities have approved the establishment of the Space Computing Innovation Center, uniting key players in the IT industry to develop orbital AI data centers. The Beijing-initiated project involves collaboration among rocket manufacturers, satellite producers, semiconductor foundries, and artificial intelligence companies. The center’s official launch is scheduled for late June 2026.

Core research areas include the development of radiation-hardened chips, high-performance satellite platforms for AI, cloud management systems, and energy-efficient machine learning models. The project aims to create an autonomous infrastructure independent of terrestrial power grids, overcoming limitations of traditional data centers.

China’s initiative was announced a week before SpaceX’s* AI1 satellite presentation, underscoring growing competition in space computing. Unlike SpaceX* and Blue Origin, which pursue independent development, Beijing has adopted a cooperative model, pooling efforts from multiple companies and institutes. This approach may offer an alternative to the vertical integration favored by U.S. players.

Experts note that China’s project could gain advantages through risk and resource distribution among participants. Meanwhile, SpaceX* has already revealed technical details of its AI1 satellite and previously outlined plans for a system of one million satellites for orbital data centers. Blue Origin is also developing Project Sunrise, targeting 51,600 satellites.