HPE offers up progress report on how its space-based supercomputer is performing

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Hewlett Packard Business (HPE) has confirmed the supercomputer it set live on the Global House Station (ISS) in May 2021 has now properly accomplished 24 study experiments, with dramatically minimized data processing times.

The HPE Spaceborne Laptop-2 (SBC-2) is an edge computing device that was deployed onboard the ISS with the intention of producing it possible for researchers to use artificial intelligence (AI) to progress efforts to launch a manned mission to Mars.

The setup is also created to test out approaches that astronauts can bypass the latency troubles and wait occasions that arise when sending knowledge again down to Earth by letting them to approach their details domestically as an alternative.

It can also be applied to compress the dimension of the information astronauts mail down to Earth, and – in flip – pace up the time it can take to transmit this info to them.

For illustration, HPE said 1.8 GB of raw DNA sequence info utilised to get an normal time of 12.2 several hours to download to Earth for original processing, but that can now be compressed down to 92KB and ship down to Earth in two seconds using SBC-2.  

The experiments SBC-2 has been associated in to-date have needed it to approach details in true-time, HPE verified, and it has also been applied to test new apps to assess their trustworthiness when run in space as aspect of an effort to raise the autonomy of astronauts.

“These experiments spanned use circumstances supporting health care, picture processing, purely natural disaster restoration, 3D printing, 5G, and alternatives enabled by artificial intelligence,” stated HPE, in a statement.

One of the experiments, done in collaboration with Microsoft, centered on making use of AI-enabled injury detection technological innovation to evaluate the state of the gloves that astronauts put on while in space, and flag parts of damage to NASA researchers on the floor that might require even further investigation.

One more of the experiments centred on the use of 3D printing technologies, making use of validated software, that has the possible to guidance deep house vacation in future by allowing for astronauts to repair service and make replacement equipment even though in orbit.

Mark Fernandez, principal investigator for SBC-2 at HPE, said every single of the finished experiments “demonstrates new possibilities for room exploration and milestones for humanity”.

He added: “By introducing edge computing and AI abilities to the Intercontinental Space Station with Spaceborne Laptop-2, we have aided foster a increasing, collaborative study neighborhood that shares a popular target to make scientific and engineering breakthroughs that benefit humankind, on area and in this article on Earth.”  

SBC-2 was formally launched into area in February 2021, forward of its installation on the ISS in May 2021. As in-depth by Laptop Weekly at the time of its start, the microwave-sized gadget is built all around HPE’s Edgeline EL4000 converged edge computing gadgets and a person of its ProLiant DL360 Gen110 appliances. It is established to be in spot for up to a few decades.