S. Korean space startup TelePIX sends AI processor for satellites to space

Seoul : South Korea's space startup TelePIX on Monday said it has sent an onboard artificial intelligence (AI) processor for satellites, powered by Nvidia's graphic processing unit chips, into space.

According to the company, the processor named TetraPLEX was delivered by an Italian satellite aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 into orbit last Friday, Yonhap news agency reported.

Developed in collaboration with Nvidia, TetraPLEX enables efficient, on-the-spot data analysis directly within the satellite, allowing AI processing and edge computing in space, the company said.

With this launch, TetraPlex will demonstrate high-speed parallel processing of satellite big data AI models in real-time, and test satellite image pre-processing algorithms and their stability in a radiation-accumulating environment.

"Through this demonstration in space, TelePIX has secured space heritage, laying the foundation for the company to enter the global space market," said Kim Seong-hui, chief technology officer at TelePIX.

TetraPLEX is an onboard processor (OBP) that transforms the handling of satellite data by enabling edge computing and in-space artificial intelligence processing.

TetraPLEX was created in partnership with chip giant NVIDIA and allows for effective, real-time data analysis inside the satellite, significantly cutting down on the time and expense involved in conventional ground-based processing.

To improve TetraPLEX's capabilities, TelePIX makes use of the potent and energy-efficient AI processing capabilities of the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX system-on-a-module in a small form factor.

TelePIX has benefited from substantial support and training on the newest NVIDIA technologies as a member of NVIDIA Inception, which has further increased TetraPLEX's capabilities.

For real-time analysis of massive datasets in space, TetraPLEX will be revolutionary, especially for applications such as greenhouse gas monitoring.

In addition, TelePIX intends to provide the first Spaceborne AI Cloud platform service in South Korea. This service will allow software or algorithms to be processed in space via the use of AI/ML services and the AWS Ground Station, an Amazon Web Services ground station service.