As the global artificial intelligence (AI) race reshapes the computing landscape, China is accelerating the deployment of orbital computing infrastructure, with the southwestern hub of Chengdu emerging as a key engine in the country's ambitious push to build a next-generation space-based AI network.
Given that terrestrial data centers hit physical limits in energy and land, this strategic pivot aims to break through these bottlenecks and provide a complementary computing dimension. Space-based platforms offer inexhaustible solar power, vacuum cooling, and global coverage, enabling real-time insights in connectivity dead zones.
Leading this charge is Adaspace Technology Co., Ltd. (ADAspace), a private aerospace company based in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. In May 2025, the firm launched 12 AI-capable satellites, creating the world's first operational space computing constellation.
"We plan to deploy 2,800 computing satellites, forming a global AI-powered space infrastructure," said Zhao Hongjie, executive vice president of ADAspace. The company's roadmap targets a 1,000-satellite commercial network by 2030 and full deployment by 2035, interconnected with over 100 ground-based data centers.
The initiative is already advancing rapidly. In November 2025, ADAspace deployed the Qwen3 large language model directly to its orbital computing center, marking the successful in-orbit deployment of a general-purpose large language model.
ADAspace's ambitions reflect a broader strategic drive in Sichuan Province, southwest China. The province is one of the few in China -- and the only one in the country's west -- with a closed-loop aerospace industry chain. Capable of R&D and production in over 80 percent of aerospace segments, it serves as a critical supply hub for national rocket components and accounts for roughly 30 percent of China's satellite payload market.
In 2025, Sichuan's aerospace industry was valued at around 50 billion yuan (about 7.3 billion U.S. dollars). As the provincial capital, Chengdu alone hosts over 200 key enterprises, with seven included in the 2025 top 100 China commercial space enterprises list.
Xu Xingguo, vice mayor of Chengdu, highlighted that as western China's only hub with a complete satellite and rocket industry chain, the city has achieved multiple firsts in space computing. "We have built a full closed loop spanning theoretical innovation, technical breakthroughs, and in-orbit verification to commercial application, forging a unique industry-leading advantage."
This success is underpinned by a high-tier innovation ecosystem. Backed by a robust sci-tech foundation anchored by one national laboratory, four national technology innovation centers, ten major science facilities, and 66 universities, Chengdu has established 145 pilot and concept-verification platforms to support major national strategies. Furthermore, the city's R&D and commercialization capabilities in key fields such as microwave RF and optoelectronic sensors have entered China's top tier.
The rapid development of space computing in Chengdu and the broader Sichuan Province serves as a microcosm of China's emerging orbital computing industry. Similarly, driven by their respective industrial strengths, cities including Beijing and Shanghai are actively advancing the sector to tap into the new frontier of the space digital economy.
Zhu Keli, founding dean of the China Institute of New Economy, noted that this decentralized regional deployment has fostered a healthy ecosystem of differentiated, complementary growth. "This collaborative approach effectively avoids the homogeneous construction and resource drain typically seen in emerging industries," Zhu said.