KR-20260064662-A - Data Center Satellite

Abstract

The present invention relates to a satellite (100) for a data center comprising a computation unit (120) including a plurality of GPU cores (121), a loop heat pipe (LHP) (130), a plurality of solar panels (150) deployed in the direction of the sun by a first boom (140), a plurality of thermal radiation panels (170) independently deployed in the direction opposite to the sun by a second boom (160) and connected to the LHP (130) by a flexible pipe (190), and an energy storage system (ESS) (180). By deploying the thermal radiation panels (170) by an independent boom (160) opposite the direction of solar incidence, the solar incidence heat load on the heat dissipation surface is structurally minimized, and large-capacity heat dissipation for high GPU heat generation is realized. The combination of the LHP (130) and the flexible pipe (190) ensures continuity of heat transfer even during deployment operation, and the ESS (180) resolves power gaps during orbital solar eclipse periods, thereby enabling continuous computation.

Inventors

• 안범주

Assignees

• 안범주

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20260402

Claims (1)

1. Regarding satellites for data centers, A computation unit that processes data including multiple GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) cores; A loop heat pipe connected to the above-mentioned operation unit to transfer heat generated in the above-mentioned operation unit; A plurality of solar panels spaced apart from each other and deployed in a wing-like manner from the satellite body by a first boom positioned on the first side of the satellite body facing the sun; A plurality of heat radiation panels arranged spaced apart from each other, which are deployed in a wing-like manner from the satellite body by a second boom positioned on the second side opposite to the first side, and are connected to the loop heat pipe and flexible pipe to release heat to the outside; and An artificial satellite comprising an energy storage system (ESS) that stores power generated from the above-mentioned solar panels.

Description

Data Center Satellite Data Center Satellite The present invention relates to a satellite that performs data computation processing in space, and more specifically, to a satellite (100) for a data center comprising: a computation unit (120) that processes large-capacity data by equipping a plurality of GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) cores; a loop heat pipe (hereinafter "LHP") (130) that efficiently transfers heat from the computation unit (120); a plurality of solar panels (150) that are deployed in a wing shape by a first boom (140) positioned on a first side facing the sun; a plurality of heat radiation panels (170) that are independently deployed in a wing shape by a second boom (160) positioned on a second side facing the sun and connected to the LHP (130) by a flexible pipe (190); and an energy storage system (ESS) (180) that stores power generated from the solar panels (150). With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the demand for ultra-high-performance computing, such as large-scale language model training, deep learning inference, and real-time satellite image analysis, is increasing explosively. To meet this demand, ground-based data centers are becoming increasingly larger and denser; however, complex constraints such as the accompanying massive power consumption, the cost of building cooling infrastructure, land use restrictions, and licensing issues are causing serious bottlenecks across the industry. Space possesses environmental conditions that can fundamentally overcome the limitations of such ground-based data centers. First, in orbit, solar radiation energy can be continuously received without atmospheric attenuation or weather influences, allowing for the utilization of solar irradiance that is approximately 36% higher than that of ground-based solar power generation. Additionally, since heat transfer in a vacuum environment occurs solely through radiation, a large amount of waste heat can be released externally through heat dissipation panels that secure an appropriate heat dissipation surface area. However, there are key technical challenges that must be solved in implementing a high-performance computing system in a space environment. First, since the GPU-based computing unit (120) has a very high heat density per unit area, cooling using convection in a vacuum environment is impossible, so a high-performance heat transfer means is essential. Second, since the heat dissipation efficiency is significantly reduced when the thermal radiation panel is directly exposed to solar radiation, the geometric arrangement of the heat dissipation panel becomes a key factor in determining system performance. Third, since solar power generation is interrupted during the orbital eclipse phase, an energy storage means is required to continuously supply power to the computing unit (120). In conventional satellite thermal management technology, configurations have primarily been adopted in which heat dissipation panels are deployed by directly connecting them to the north or south face of the satellite body via hinges, or by unfolding them using a roll-out method utilizing spring restoring force. However, this hinge connection method has structural limitations in expanding the heat dissipation area because the size of the heat dissipation panel is dependent on the size of the satellite body's surface, and there is a problem where radiative heat exchange from the body degrades heat dissipation performance as the heat dissipation panel is positioned close to the satellite body. Furthermore, in the hinge connection method, the orientation of the heat dissipation panel depends on the shape of the satellite body, so there are limitations in structurally blocking solar incident heat load (insulation). In particular, data center satellites equipped with numerous computational elements having high heat density, such as GPUs, generate several to tens of times more heat than conventional communication satellites; therefore, it is difficult to secure sufficient heat dissipation capacity using only conventional heat dissipation panel layouts. Consequently, a new structural approach is required to address the high heat demands of GPU-based data center satellites. The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a data center satellite capable of continuously performing high-performance computing at the level of a data center in a space environment by efficiently transferring large amounts of waste heat generated from a high-heat computing unit including a GPU core to independently deployed thermal radiation panels through loop heat pipes and flexible piping, and by maximizing heat dissipation efficiency through the arrangement of thermal radiation panels facing the opposite direction that are structurally isolated from solar incident heat load. In addition, another objective of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable operating s