Alibaba Cloud's Qwen-3 has become the world's first AI model to be uploaded and operate in orbit. This was reported by SCMP.
The Chinese startup Adaspace Technology deployed the neural network in a space computing center, part of the Star-Compute Project—a network of 2,800 satellites designed to power physical artificial intelligence and support training and inference.
The large language model (LLM) completed several tasks, according to the company's Executive Vice President Wang Yabo. He noted that the process of uploading prompts from Earth and receiving responses took less than two minutes.
The Adaspace space center was launched in May 2025, becoming the world's first constellation of 12 satellites for AI computations.
Space: The Future of AI
Space is becoming a popular location for deploying AI hubs. However, most of these plans are still in the early stages.
In January, Elon Musk announced that Tesla would revive the Dojo3 project—a previously shelved initiative to create a third-generation chip for electric vehicles, now aimed at space computing.
The billionaire and several other company leaders believe that the future of data centers lies beyond Earth, as they feel the planet's energy networks are nearing their limits.
Among the advantages are virtually unlimited access to solar energy and ample space for equipment. The downside is the high cost of rocket launches and the necessary infrastructure.
Analysts from the research group 33FG estimate that AI computations in orbit will become economically viable by 2030.
One of the first initiatives came from Google, which announced a plan to create a network of satellites in low Earth orbit to generate energy for powering data centers.
This idea is also supported by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, but Musk holds a strategic advantage with control over delivery systems.
The entrepreneur plans to use the upcoming SpaceX IPO to fund his vision of using Starship to launch a constellation of computing satellites that can operate in continuous sunlight and collect energy around the clock.
As a reminder, in September 2024, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute turned to artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect signs of extraterrestrial life.