Sophia Space says it has closed a $10 million seed funding round to accelerate the development of orbital computing systems that can serve as the basis for space-based data processing.
The first tablet-sized satellite modules use a proprietary system that combines solar power generation and radiation cooling. Multiple tiles can be connected to racks to provide scalable computing power in Earth orbit. The infrastructure concept is called the Thermal-Integrated LEO Edge, or TILE.
“With this seed round, we’re not just building computer modules,” Sophia Space CEO Rob DeMillo said in a news release. “We are building the infrastructure for the next era of space-based AI and data processing.”
The investment round was led by Alpha Funds, KDDI Green Partners Fund and Unlock Venture Partners – and builds on $3.5 million in pre-seed investments. The newly raised funds will support the continued recruitment of engineering talent, the further maturation of Sophia’s TILE platform and the creation of strategic partnerships in the orbital computing ecosystem.
Sophia Space is based in Pasadena, Calif., and was founded by Leon Alkalai, a former colleague at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who now serves as the company’s chief technology officer. But the venture has a Pacific Northwest connection in chief growth officer Brian Monnin, who worked at Intel and Microsoft before co-founding Seattle startups Play Impossible and Quivr.
Computing in space is gaining momentum due to the launch potential of orbital data centers for artificial intelligence applications.
Orbital data centers can face some of the biggest challenges surrounding terrestrial data centers, such as the demand for land and energy. But finding a way to cool data center satellites in the middle of empty space poses its own technical challenge. The founders of Sophia say that the construction of the TILE company, combined with the placement of satellites in orbit around the nighttime interceptor, can meet the cooling challenge.
Sophia Space plans to conduct space demonstrations of its software over existing communications networks later this year.
DeMillo told GeekWire that the company plans to start with edge computing applications — for example, processing imaging data collected by Earth observation satellites. “Until we get to the point where we’re going to be putting our orbital data centers, selling these as edge computers allows revenue for the company and gets our name out there, and allows us to adjust things going forward,” he said.
He said Sophia Space plans to deliver its first TILE modules to customers in 2028.
