To be built with partnership of Space-tech firm, Pixxel and AI startup, Sarvam where former will design, build, launch, and operate pathfinder satellite, while latter would provide AI backbone. 

• The ODC, along with enhancing country’s space computing capabilities, would promote technological sovereignty by operating independently of foreign cloud infrastructure. 

About Orbital Data Centres (ODCs)

• Meaning: Scalable, cloud-enabled data processing and storage infrastructure operating directly in space. 
  • Work either in conjunction with terrestrial cloud infrastructure or independently. 

Significance of ODCs

• Abundant, Uninterrupted power: In a dawn-dusk sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), it can leverage continuous, high-intensity solar power, unhindered by night-time, weather, or atmospheric attenuation.
• Free radiative cooling: Deep vacuum of space serves as a gigantic, cold heatsink having effective ambient temperature of around -270 Celsius, eliminating freshwater needs for cooling. 
  • Single 40 megawatt (MW) terrestrial cluster can consume over 1 million tons of water annually for cooling.
• Scalability and speed of deployment: ODCs can be linearly scaled almost indefinitely through modular design, and be launched faster compared to building terrestrial infrastructure.
• Overcome Limitations of Terrestrial Data Centres: 
  • Huge Power Consumption: Large data centres consume approximately 1.5% of global power (WEF). 
  • Land and permitting constraints: Hyperscale data centres require significant land along with extensive planning, rights-of-way and environmental reviews.