Seizing strategic high ground of space computing power: Global competition landscape and China’s path

The deep integration of artificial intelligence and commercial aerospace is accelerating the transformation of space computing power from conceptual exploration to engineering verification, becoming a key direction for building an integrated space-air-ground information infrastructure. This study delves into its strategic value, global landscape, industrial chain bottlenecks, and advancement paths. The research reveals that the core value of space computing power does not lie in replacing ground data centers, but rather in focusing on network coverage blind spots, data transmission limitations, and high-timeliness scenarios, providing a new supply model of “in-orbit computing + space-ground collaboration”. Currently, the world has entered a parallel stage of engineering verification and commercial layout. The United States has established a first-mover advantage by leveraging its mature commercial system, while Europe is promoting extraterrestrial data centers under the guidance of the Green Deal and digital sovereignty. China, driven by the new national system, is accelerating the layout of an integrated space-air-ground information network. In response to the challenges China faces, such as the high launch costs and the performance limitations of high-performance chip ecosystems, satellite manufacturing, and inter-satellite communication, as well as the commercial closed-loop challenges of ground facilities, and application ecosystems, this study proposes that China should leverage the advantages of the new national system to coordinate the development of national and commercial aerospace, systematically fill industrial chain gaps to build an independent and controllable ecosystem, seize the strategic high ground of frequency and orbit resources to enhance international discourse power, and foster application ecosystems and close the value loop through innovative business models. At the same time, a dynamic assessment mechanism should be established to ensure risk control, thereby promoting the stable and high-quality development of the space computing power industry.