I’ve spent a number of time monitoring how AI fashions are getting smaller, sooner, and smarter, however I by no means thought I’d be writing about one actually leaving the planet. Alibaba Cloud simply pulled off one thing that sounds prefer it’s straight out of a high-budget sci-fi flick: their Qwen-3 mannequin has turn out to be the world’s first general-purpose AI to be deployed and operated totally in orbit.
Once I first noticed the technical specs, I needed to do a double-take. We aren’t simply speaking a couple of satellite tv for pc sending information again to a server on Earth. We’re speaking in regards to the AI dwelling within the stars, processing ideas within the vacuum of house, and sending outcomes again in report time.
Why the Excessive Floor Issues

You may be questioning, “Ugu, why do we’d like AI in house when now we have completely good information facilities right here?” It’s a good query. However once I appeared deeper into the Star-Compute Mission by Adaspace (the accomplice on this mission), the advantages began to click on:
Infinite Power: Solar energy isn’t simply an alternate in house; it’s the first, limitless gas supply. No extra large electrical energy payments for cooling and working racks.Pure Cooling: Overlook costly liquid cooling programs. The ambient temperature of house handles the warmth dissipation of high-performance chips rather more effectively.Latency Transformation: By processing information the place it’s gathered (on the satellite tv for pc), we bypass the huge “information site visitors jams” concerned in sending uncooked imagery or sensor information again to Earth for evaluation.
Two Minutes to Greatness

Probably the most spectacular a part of this take a look at? The pace. Alibaba’s VP, Wang Yabo, confirmed that your complete cycle—sending a question from Earth, the AI performing the “inference” (the considering bit) in orbit, and beaming the reply again—took lower than two minutes.
This wasn’t a pre-loaded script. Qwen-3 was built-in right into a constellation of 12 satellites that type the world’s first AI computing satellite tv for pc workforce. Seeing Qwen-3 outperform Meta’s Llama neighborhood in open-source adoption was one factor, however seeing it actually orbit the Earth is a complete new stage of “market dominance.”
The 2035 Imaginative and prescient: A Galaxy of Intelligence

This isn’t only a one-off experiment. Adaspace is planning to launch its second and third computing facilities by 2026. Their final aim is to have 2,800 satellites up there by 2035.
Think about an online of two,400 inference satellites and 400 coaching models surrounding our planet. It’s basically a planetary mind. I personally discover this each exhilarating and slightly bit humbling. We’re transferring from “Cellular First” to “AI First,” and now, apparently, to “Area First.”
My Take: The Finish of Grounded Limitations?

I’ve at all times felt that the largest bottleneck for AI was the bodily restrict of our energy grids and the environmental affect of large information facilities. By transferring the “considering” to orbit, Alibaba isn’t simply profitable a tech race; they’re displaying us a sustainable option to scale intelligence.
Nonetheless, it does make me surprise in regards to the geopolitical facet. If the “mind” of the world’s strongest AI is floating 500km above us, who actually controls the circulate of data? It’s a wild new frontier, and I’m right here for each second of it.
What do you assume? Would you belief an AI extra—or much less—figuring out its “mind” is bodily floating in house relatively than sitting in a constructing on the bottom?

