Photo: Courtesy of ADA Space

Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and ADA Space, a Chinese AI satellite internet technology company, will jointly establish China's first space computing joint laboratory, aiming to build a technologically leading and independently controllable space computing network, according to a statement sent to the Global Times on Friday.

Centered on the needs of a space-based computing power network, the laboratory will focus its research on frontier areas including the development of independent and controllable space computing chips, robotic satellites, and in-orbit additive manufacturing, the statement said.

This collaboration will leverage SJTU's innovative strengths in advanced fields like artificial intelligence, as well as ADA Space's pioneering advantages in completing the deployment of an AI intelligent computing satellite constellation, according to the statement.

This initiative is dedicated to building a technologically advanced, independently controllable space computing network and fostering the development of a globally influential space computing industrial cluster, the statement said.

Prior to this, the company completed the in-orbit deployment and inference tasks of a general-purpose large model from November 24-26, Wang Jian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of Zhejiang Lab, said at the 2025 Innovation Development Conference of China Aerospace Information and Satellite Internet Innovation Alliance held on November 27.

Through multiple in-orbit large model inference missions, the verified correctness of the inference results has confirmed that the space computing constellation possesses the capability to real-time deploy general large models in orbit and provide inference services.

The entire process, from task initiation and in-orbit inference to data transmission, was completed within two minutes.

This signifies that any large model can be deployed in real time on demand, without needing to be pre-installed prior to satellite launch as was previously required, ADA Space told the Global Times, adding that this also demonstrates another new leading edge achieved by China.

As early as September 24, 2024, ADA Space successfully developed and launched the world's first AI large model scientific satellite, China Central Television (CCTV) News reported.

From September 25 to October 5, 2024, the satellite conducted a total of 13 in-orbit operation tests of the AI large model, covering various temperature operating conditions and multiple types of inference and question-answering tasks, CCTV News reported. 

All missions were executed successfully, and all predefined objectives of the technical verification for the AI large model's in-orbit operation on the satellite were fully accomplished, the report added.

This also means China's space computing technology test satellite had already taken the lead last year, while the Washington-based Starcloud wasn't launched until November this year, ADA Space said.

CNBC reported that Starcloud launched a satellite with an Nvidia H100 graphics processing unit in early November, sending a chip into outer space that's 100 times more powerful than any GPU compute that has been in space before.