Sustainability > Innovation for a Sustainable Future
Current technology focuses on increasing the speed and volume of information processing, yet that approach places strain on the planet. Networks are stretched to the max. Chances are, either your mobile network or internet connection has stopped working at one time or another. From outages sparked by a natural disaster, bad weather, human error, or network overload, it’s abundantly clear we need to reconsider the communications infrastructure that unites our world.
With unlimited vision and practical value, together with SKY Perfect JSAT, NTT is developing a satellite networking system to process and store data in space. Today, data received by satellite must be sent back to earth for processing and analyzed in a data center, clogging data traffic and adding to power consumption. This innovation addresses this and so much more.
Each satellite will be equipped with computing functions that can process data, connecting to a network of satellites of optical communications that perform the role of a data center in space.
The space data centers will reportedly be powered by photonics-electronics convergence technology known as IOWN. This network technology reduces the necessary power consumption of satellites and delivers a greater ability to resist the effects of radiation in space.
The Space Integrated Computing Network can gather data from the earth, processing and analyzing the data faster than today’s means. We can reduce the exchange of large volumes of data between earth and space, speeding up the process of transfer times. Images of large-scale farms taken by a satellite will be viewed in hours, not days.
NTT satellites and a new space and earth sensing platform will use low orbit satellite technology to collect data from IoT terminals positioned around the earth. We will be able to collect environmental information and data from farms, offshore wind terminals, autonomous vehicles to learn, predict and prevent.
New optical technology makes data communications faster and reduces electricity consumption to one-hundredth of today’s volumes. We are also exploring how a space-based network can reduce carbon loads by harnessing solar power for the electricity used for data processing.
Space-based infrastructure means no service interruptions or risks from natural disasters, even for mobile coverage. In the push to further advance 5G and introduce 6G, initiatives are underway to expand coverage from beyond the oceans and air.
This independent, carbon-free, autonomous space infrastructure is planned to launch in 2025 with initial demonstration and trials getting started this year. It promises to connect the vastness of space using light to deliver the ultimate eco-friendly infrastructure and shift away from terrestrial energy sources.
