Chinese private company S-AIDC has deployed the Supercomputing-1 satellite to accelerate Earth observation data processing via orbital compute infrastructure.
China launched nine satellites from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on September 20, including Supercomputing-1 (S-AIDC-1), developed by Chinese AI compute company S-AIDC, also known as Chaozhisuan Technology Co., Ltd.
Supercomputing-1 is designed to analyze images captured in orbit and determine which are ideal for downlink, utilizing laser intersatellite links (ISLs)—a long-established Earth observation application, though the capability falls short of true supercomputing. According to CAS Space and the Chinese government, the satellite will reduce processing times from hours to minutes, though specific technical details were not disclosed. Multiple reports also highlight the satellite's target recognition capabilities, without elaborating on what defines a target.
Founded in Beijing in 2024 and now headquartered in Guangzhou, S-AIDC was established by Liu Mingtao. In May, the company announced a Series A funding round worth "several hundred million yuan"—roughly several tens of millions of dollars—co-led by Yuanhe Pahua and Fanyu Capital, with participation from existing investor Fenghe Capital and new investor Changshi Ventures. The company declined to comment.
In June, Mingtao stated that overseas companies in core space industries such as in-space manufacturing should pursue open collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and its commercial ecosystem. However, he emphasized that computing power, space-based networks, and other critical services must remain under exclusive state control.
The nine satellites were launched via Guangzhou-based CAS Space's Kinetica 1 Y18 rocket, also known as Lijian-1 Y18—the company's 17th launch. CAS Space, an arm of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, supports research projects from the academy including spaceflight. The Chinese Academy of Sciences exhibited at World Space Business Week in Paris as a sponsor for the second consecutive year.
In June, the Chinese government launched the Space Computing Industry Innovation Center, designed to integrate rocket and satellite manufacturers with semiconductor fabs and AI companies to create a space computing network. CAS Space has committed to enabling AI, biomedicine, and other emerging industries through its space solutions. Dr. Brendan Mulvaney, director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute at the US Air Force, previously told DCD: "For a number of reasons, we should expect a steady development of on-orbit computing in China. Well-established [Chinese] companies like Galaxy Space also seem quite bullish about space computing. In short, it's a very hot topic in China today."
Earlier this year, Orbital Chenguang Technology Co. obtained a ¥57 billion (US$8.7 billion) line of credit from a consortium of state-owned banks, though the full terms of the agreement were not disclosed.