Nvidia (NVDA) has unveiled a new microchip for use in future artificial intelligence (A.I.) data centres that are planned for outer space.
At its annual GTC developer conference, Nvidia announced a new computing platform for orbital data centres, a highly anticipated next step aimed at positioning A.I. in space.
“Space computing, the final frontier, has arrived,” said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the event.
In a press release, Nvidia said that its new Vera Rubin Space-1 microchip and module will be used on future space missions.
The new microchips have been “engineered for size-, weight- and power-constrained environments” such as outer space, said Huang.
The current A.I. data centre buildout here on Earth has been blamed for rising electricity costs. Positioning future data centres into outer space is viewed as a solution to that issue.
However, data centres in space remains a long way off as high costs and low availability of rocket launches remain a barrier to success.
Still, A.I. companies are racing to make use of space’s unlimited solar power. Last fall, Alphabet (GOOGL) announced “Project Suncatcher” to explore the concept of computing in space.
Elon Musk’s recently combined companies xAI and SpaceX plan to build data centres in outer space. xAI is one of Nvidia’s biggest customers.
NVDA stock has risen 53% in the last 12 months to trade at $183.19 U.S. per share
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