Dateline: May 29 2029
What started out as a prestige project to be the first computer network in orbit has become a force to be reckoned with. China’s Star Computing platform is open for business — in space!
Initially comprising just a dozen server satellites, each providing 744 tera operations per second of compute to the network, the constellation has grown to thousands. Using the latest chips and ultra-lightweight AI models, the platform is now capable of powering cutting-edge applications ranging from real-time Earth monitoring to advanced space exploration missions.
Governments, corporations and research institutions worldwide are leveraging this high-performance computational resource to develop solutions to global challenges. With its scalable infrastructure and integration of space-based computing technologies, Star Computing promises to redefine technological boundaries and drive innovation on an interstellar scale.
The Star Computing platform is poised to revolutionise industries ranging from weather forecasting to global communications. By harnessing the power of a satellite-based computer network China has set a new benchmark for innovation in space technology. The system’s ability to process enormous amounts of data in real time enables advanced applications in AI and cybersecurity, making it a pivotal resource for nations and businesses alike.
Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping stated that AI has the potential to be an international public good for the benefit of humanity. He highlighted the need for extensive international co-operation on AI, aimed at assisting countries in the Global South to enhance their technological capabilities and helping reduce the global “intelligence gap”.
Powered by sunshine and cooled by the vacuum of space, this data centre in orbit also has the lowest environmental footprint of all. Now it’s open for business and easily accessible from mobile devices. Look up. There’s AI in the sky.
First published on Mindbullets May 22 2025.
Starlink owns the heavens
Dateline: October 13 2029
Elon Musk famously told us that he developed the Starship mega rocket to “take humanity to Mars”, but perhaps that wasn’t his only ambition. It turns out he may have had a secret master plan to dominate Earth’s orbital space.
Powered by Starship’s huge payload capacity and low-cost reusability, SpaceX has been able to populate its constellation with 42,000 advanced Starlink satellites, providing ubiquitous broadband coverage to every corner of the planet. Now it’s hardly worth asking who controls the global internet.
Every ship, airliner and drone uses Starlink to stay in touch with home base and the world. Every new Tesla comes equipped with Starlink as standard, and most other electric cars offer it as an option. Wi-Fi on the train or bus? Chances are it’s powered by Starlink. Military comms too. And almost all new smartphones talk directly to the satellites.
The power has shifted to who controls the network. Back in 2024 Starlink had to apply for licences to operate in different countries. Now they pay Starlink to be their national carrier. It’s just so much cheaper, and more reliable.
But that’s not all. Every Starlink satellite has multispectral cameras on board, giving a real-time view of global activity. Think highway conditions, dam levels, crop yields, natural disasters, urban emergencies and migration — in real time, 24/7, even through cloud cover. And the AI-stabilised live feed is constantly available, from pole to pole for approved subscribers.
Never again will an airliner “go missing” over the Indian Ocean, or an oligarch’s superyacht mysteriously disappear. If you want to escape Starlink’s gaze, you’ll have to go deep under water, or underground. It’s a dream come true for agencies such as Interpol.
Which raises the question: if a corporate entity such as Starlink controls a global communications and surveillance network, deciding who gets to go online where, and who gets to see what, and at what price, who owns the world? Probably the person who owns Starlink.
First published on Mindbullets October 24 2024
Despite appearances to the contrary, Futureworld cannot and does not predict the future. The Mindbullets scenarios are fictitious and designed purely to explore possible futures, and challenge and stimulate strategic thinking.
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