NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone)

Founded
Country
1952
Japan
Funding
Yes, ?
Website
https://www.global.ntt/
Social
NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone)

Product/Service

Classification
Space Utilities
Category
In-Orbit Computing
In-Orbit Data Storage
Fields
Edge Computing
Status
Development
First launch
2025

NTT will develop a satellite system that can process and store data in space.

NTT will collaborate with Japan's SKY Perfect JSAT Holdings, which has expertise in satellite operations, in developing the project. NTT is aiming to start trials as early as 2022. All being well, both companies hope to launch the satellite in 2025 and roll it out for practical use by 2026.

Currently, data received by a satellite have to be sent back to earth to be analyzed in a data center. This clogs up data traffic and it also means that data centers suck up huge amounts of electricity.

NTT's system will change that. The company aims to equip each satellite with computing functions that can process data. A network of satellites will be connected by optical communications to act as a pseudo data center.

NTT's satellite will gather a wide range of data from earth, such as the operation of offshore wind turbines and automated vehicles, the yields of large-scale farms, and logistics in mountainous regions. After processing and analyzing such data, the satellite will send back only relevant information to earth.

This makes it possible to reduce the exchange of massive data between space and earth, speeding up the process of data transfer. For example, an aerial photograph taken by a satellite can be sent to receivers within a few hours, while it currently takes a day.

The new system will use the "IOWN" optical communication technology that NTT develops. This makes data communication faster and reduces electricity consumption to one-hundredth of what it is now. NTT thinks it will also help decarbonization as the electricity used for data processing will come from solar power.

When it comes to data preservation, space infrastructure is considered promising as there is no risk of natural disasters such as earthquakes. SKY Perfect is the first private company in Japan to launch satellite communications. Both companies hope to operate hundreds of satellites in the future.

Status Comment / Notes

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