Sophia Space raises $10M seed to demo novel space computers
Sophia Space secured $10 million in seed funding to demonstrate its novel, passively cooled space computer technology in orbit by 2027 or 2028.Summary
Sophia Space has raised $10 million in seed funding from investors including Alpha Funds, KDDI Green Partners Fund, and Unlock Venture Partners to advance its unique approach to space computing. The company aims to solve the critical issue of cooling high-powered processors in space, where traditional methods relying on large radiators are common. Sophia Space's technology stems from research into orbital solar power plants at Caltech, utilizing a thin, sail-like structure. They have designed modular server racks called TILES, which are one meter by one meter and a few centimeters deep, integrating solar panels. This thin form factor allows processors to sit against a passive heat spreader, eliminating the need for active cooling and enabling 92% of generated power to go toward processing. The company plans to prove the technology on the ground, then launch a demonstration on an Apex Space satellite bus by late 2027 or early 2028. Initially, Sophia plans to offer its TILES to satellite operators needing on-orbit compute solutions, addressing the problem of data overload from sensors that currently must discard most collected data due to insufficient onboard processing capabilities.
(Source：TechCrunch)