Recently, according to the South China Morning Post, a well-known international media in Hong Kong, China's Tiangong space station is conducting an unprecedented experiment: testing more than 100 high-performance computer chips in orbit.
These chips are all designed and manufactured by China in-house, using advanced processes ranging from 16 to 28 nanometers, and their performance far exceeds that of chips used in space by other countries. The experiment aims to provide strong technical support for China's space exploration and future satellite Internet.
As soon as the news was reported, it immediately attracted wide attention at home and abroad. This is because China's move not only demonstrates our technological strength in the field of chips, but also reflects our ambitions in the field of space.
The mainland's space program has made a series of major achievements in recent years, including the successful launch of the Chang'e-5 probe, the completion of the Tiangong space station, and the first exploration of Mars. As the core of space technology, chips are the key factor that determines whether the mainland can have an advantage in the space race.
According to a paper published in the journal "Spacecraft Environmental Engineering" by researchers at the China Academy of Space Technology, China's Tiangong space station can test multiple chips at the same time, including chips designed for civilian or defense use.
These chips are subject to intense radiation from space while running China's self-developed SpaceOS operating system.
Data from the experiment can be transmitted back to Earth through the space station's powerful communication system, and if needed, brought back to the surface by astronauts for more in-depth testing. This large-scale in-orbit test can greatly improve the technical level of China's space-grade chips and reduce R&D costs.
The challenges and competition of space chips
Space chips refer to chips specifically designed for space applications, and they need to have the characteristics of high performance, low cost, and high reliability to adapt to the harsh environment in space.
Radiation in space is the biggest enemy of chips, which can lead to degraded performance, data loss, and even damage to chips. Therefore, space chips need to have strong radiation protection capabilities to ensure their normal operation.
In addition, space chips also need to have the advantages of low power consumption, small size, and light weight to save energy and space in spacecraft.
The development of space chips is an extremely challenging undertaking that requires a high level of design and manufacturing capabilities, as well as a lot of money and time.
At present, only a few countries and companies in the world are able to produce space-grade chips, of which the United States is the main producer and user. The space chip technology of the United States originated during the Cold War, when the United States invested a lot of resources and manpower in order to compete with the Soviet Union for space hegemony and developed a series of space chips, such as RAD750, RH32, RH1750, etc.
Although these chips have high reliability, their performance and process have lagged behind modern commercial chips. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) admits that the chip technology it uses in space is 30 years behind.
Even the James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, uses a RAD750 processor based on a 250nm process and clocks at a frequency of only 118 megahertz, which is less than a fraction of that of a regular smartphone.
NASA decided only last year that two private companies would design and manufacture a new chip, based on the open-source RISC-V architecture, which will be 100 times faster than previous processors, and is expected to go into space next year.
China's space chip technology has developed rapidly in recent years, mainly relying on China's own design and manufacturing capabilities, as well as the transformation and optimization of commercial chips.
China's space chips cover a process range from 28nm to 16nm, with significant improvements in performance and power consumption.
China's space chips also have some unique advantages, such as supporting multi-core, multi-threading, and multi-task parallel processing, as well as supporting advanced algorithms such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning.
China's space chips have been applied to a number of space projects, such as Chang'e-5, Tianwen-1, Tianhe-1, etc., showing good stability and efficiency.
China's experiment also shows how much China competes with the United States in the space field.
China sees its biggest competitor as no longer NASA, but an emerging space power represented by private companies such as SpaceX, which is backed by NASA.
These companies have used commercial chips to build a huge satellite Internet Starlink, providing high-speed network services around the world.
China also plans to create a similar satellite internet constellation for not only communications, but also for monitoring the Earth and space.
Some Chinese space experts believe that in the coming years, there will be an explosive global demand for high-performance, low-cost space-grade chips.
Applications and prospects of space chips
China's space chips are not only used to support China's space exploration, but also to promote China's space applications.
Space applications refer to activities that use space resources and technologies to provide services for human life and development, such as satellite navigation, satellite remote sensing, satellite communications, etc.
The development of space applications relies on high-performance space chips to achieve higher data processing speeds, lower energy consumption, and stronger signal transmission capabilities.
China's space chips have been used in a number of space applications.
China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System is a global positioning and navigation network of 35 satellites that can provide users around the world with high-precision location, speed and time information.
The Beidou satellite navigation system uses space chips independently developed by China, such as the Beidou chip on the Beidou-3 satellite, which can achieve 1 billion floating-point operations per second, as well as the reception and processing of a variety of navigation signals.
China's high-resolution Earth observation system is a remote sensing network composed of multiple satellites, which can provide high-definition images and data for national defense, land, agriculture, environment and other fields.
The high-resolution Earth observation system uses China's self-developed space chips, such as the Gaofen-1 satellite, which can achieve 2 billion floating-point operations per second, as well as the acquisition and analysis of multiple spectra.
China's satellite communication system is a communication network composed of multiple satellites, which can provide high-speed voice, data and video transmission services for users around the world.
A certain type of communication system uses a space chip independently developed by China, such as the Dongfanghong chip on the Dongfanghong 5 satellite, which can achieve 4 billion floating-point operations per second, as well as modulation and demodulation of multiple bands.
In addition to these space applications that have already been realized, China also has a number of space applications that are being planned or developed.
China plans to build a low-orbit satellite internet constellation of thousands of satellites, which can provide high-speed, low-latency, low-cost network access services to users around the world.
The satellite internet constellation will use China's self-developed space chips, such as the Starlink chip on the Starlink-1 satellite, which can achieve 10 billion floating-point operations per second, as well as the forwarding and routing of signals at multiple frequencies.
China plans to continue to explore celestial bodies such as the Moon, Mars, and asteroids, as well as to observe planets and stars outside the solar system.
The space exploration project will use China's self-developed space chips, such as the Chang'e chip on the Chang'e-6 probe, which can achieve 20 billion floating-point operations per second, as well as control and data processing for multiple sensors.
The application and prospect of China's space chips are very broad, and they will provide strong technical support and services for China's space industry and national development.
China's space dream and chip dream
China's experiment of using the Tiangong space station to test chips and compete for technological superiority is another major breakthrough in China's space exploration and another important progress in the field of chips.
This experiment not only demonstrates China's scientific and technological strength, but also provides a solid foundation for China's space dream and chip dream.
China's space dream refers to China's vision of becoming a space power, exploring the mysteries of space, using space resources, protecting the security of space, and contributing to the peace and progress of mankind.
China's space dream has already achieved some remarkable results, such as the completion of the Tiangong space station, the realization of a soft landing on the far side of the moon, and the completion of the landing and patrol of Mars.
China's space dream has more goals and plans, such as achieving a human landing on the moon, establishing a lunar base, exploring asteroids and comets, launching space telescopes, etc.
China's chip dream refers to China's vision of becoming a chip power, breaking through the technical bottleneck of chips, improving the independent innovation ability of chips, meeting the domestic demand for chips, and participating in the international race of chips.
China's chip dream stems from China's emphasis and investment in chips, and it is also China's pursuit and innovation of science and technology.
China's chip dream has made some encouraging progress, such as the mass production of some high-precision chips, the development of domestic server chips and mobile phone chips, and the breaking of foreign chip blockades and sanctions.
There are still more challenges and opportunities for China's chip dream, such as realizing the research and development of chips below 7nm, promoting the industrial upgrading and integration of chips, and cultivating chip talents and teams.
China's space dream and chip dream complement each other, the space dream needs the support of the chip dream, and the chip dream needs the drive of the space dream.
China's space dream and chip dream will bring infinite possibilities and hope to China's future and the development of the world.