World's first AI large-model satellite operates smoothly in space: developer

The world's first satellite using AI large-model technology is operating smoothly in space, with multiple tasks successfully completed, said its developer in Beijing.

The satellite was launched aboard a Smart Dragon-3 carrier rocket from the waters near the city of Haiyang in east China's Shandong Province on Sept. 24.

According to the research and development team, they have conducted in-orbit operational tests on the AI large-model satellite, tested operation condition in various temperatures, and completed various inference question-and-answer tasks with the satellite. All tasks have been successfully conducted so far.

"The technical staff has interacted with the satellite in this process. The remote sensing data on the satellite is huge and irregular. Thanks to the large model, we can carry out various tasks such as target recognition, feature extraction, and behavior prediction within a region. Accordingly, we can improve work efficiency in road evacuation, mineral resource discovery, and urban planning," said Wang Lei, CEO of ADA Space, a Chinese AI satellite internet technology company.

The large-model technology has allowed satellites to make decisions without transmitting data back to the ground, which has greatly enhancing the efficiency of satellite operations.

The development team overcame a series of technical challenges to transport AI computing power and systems from the ground to the sky.

"There were many challenges. It is relatively easy to control factors such as energy, building structure, temperature, humidity, weight and others on ground than in space. The selection of appropriate board and chip, unit interface, and protocol adaptation have presented a series of technical challenges for us," said Wang.

After moving the computing system to space, the team has set even bigger goals.

They have launched the "Star Computing Plan," which aims to build a global "mobile" computing network consisting of 2,800 computing satellites by 2030, enabling mankind to better utilize space resources.

"In the future, the advancement of AI technology and the evolution of large-model technology will greatly improve the performance of commercial spaceflight. This could even revolutionize the very concept of engineering design, fostering numerous new design perspectives. This will play a crucial role in promoting and driving innovation within the industry," said Wang.

World's first AI large-model satellite operates smoothly in space: developer

Banks in south China's Hainan Province has launched innovative multi-functional free trade accounts to enable free and efficient transfer of funds between domestic and overseas accounts, facilitating cross-border capital flow at the Hainan Free Trade Port.

By the end of November this year, 11 banks in Hainan had launched the service, processing transactions equivalent to 295 billion yuan (42 billion U.S. dollars) with entities in 80 countries and regions.

At Hainan's Yangpu Port, one paper manufacturer demands high efficiency in cross-border settlements for its global operations.

Zhao Wenlong, the company's chief financial officer, said the newly opened multi-functional free trade account provides one-stop services for cross-border fund settlements, foreign exchange, investment, and financing. The streamlined process -- free of additional reviews and supplementary documentation -- has significantly boosted capital flow efficiency.

"Its advantages are apparent as it only requires instructions for transactions. For businesses, it's just like direct domestic transfers, eliminating the need for prior approvals and other procedures. This significantly improves the efficiency of corporate fund utilization," said Zhao.

Beyond settlement convenience, the offshore exchange rate advantage of the account has delivered tangible financial benefits to enterprises. Zhao's company saved a significant amount in financial costs on a recent 23 million U.S. dollars foreign exchange settlement transaction thanks to this feature.

"We can choose between two accounts to conduct foreign exchange purchases and settlements with the more favorable exchange rate," said Zhao. The application scenarios for functional free trade accounts are rapidly expanding from basic settlement to complex financial services, becoming a powerful support for enterprises to expand into international markets.

"Starting with the initial simple function of cross-border fund transfers, we have introduced numerous business innovations this year, such as overseas USD financing combined with onshore RMB currency swaps. With the continuous utilization of our services and the integration of our business with the FTP policies, we will roll out more innovative measures to enable enterprises to reap greater benefits," said Li Peng, deputy head of the Hainan Branch of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

Bank innovations facilitate cross-border capital flow at Hainan FTP