As space-based computing gains steam, India could see its first homegrown large language model (LLM) trained in orbit as early as this year.
Space-tech startup Pixxel on Monday, May 4, announced a partnership with LLM provider Sarvam AI to develop and build India’s first orbital data centre satellite called The Pathfinder. Expected to reach orbit by the end of 2026, the 200-kg satellite will house GPUs (graphics processing units) that will be used to carry out training and inference of Sarvam’s AI model.
Unlike conventional satellite computing, which relies on low-power edge processors optimised for survival rather than performance, the Pathfinder satellite will house the same generation of hardware as on-ground data centres used to power frontier AI models, as per the Bengaluru-based startup.
The announcement comes as a growing number of tech giants such as Google and Elon Musk-owned SpaceX as well as several startups look to space as a way of bypassing Earth’s power constraints.
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