Partnership Plans the First ‘Orbital Cloud’ for AI Infrastructure
DeStarlink Genesis-1 Satellite Expected to Launch Next Month
An initiative known as the ‘Orbital Cloud’ ... where communications, compute, and verification converge in LEO powered by solar energy ... is being undertaken by PowerBank Corporation and Orbit AI. The mission leverages cutting-edge satellite technology, high-performance AI compute hardware, blockchain verification systems, and clean-energy solutions to demonstrate a next-generation digital infrastructure in orbit.
“By leveraging solar-powered compute payloads and decentralized verification nodes, we are opening an entirely new potentially $700+ billion-dollar market opportunity.”
Gus Liu, Smartlink AI
Orbit AI is developing DeStarlink, the first decentralized low-Earth-orbit network for global connectivity, and DeStarAI, a suite of orbital AI data centers powered by solar arrays and naturally cooled in space. Together, these systems form the Orbital Cloud, a unified infrastructure layer designed to enable sovereign, censorship-resistant connectivity and in-orbit compute services.
Through its collaboration with Orbit AI, PowerBank intends to contribute advanced solar energy systems and adaptive thermal control solutions, reflecting its broader shift toward digital asset, data center, and RWA (Real World Asset) infrastructure, where solar power supports digital infrastructure deployments and high-growth AI markets. PowerBank’s contribution focuses on solar power and adaptive thermal technologies essential to future satellite’s “Execution Layer.”
“The next frontier of human innovation isn’t just in space exploration, it’s in building the infrastructure of tomorrow above the Earth,” said Dr. Richard Lu, CEO of PowerBank. “The combined markets for orbital satellites, in-orbit data centers, blockchain verification, and solar-powered digital infrastructure are projected to exceed $700 billion over the next decade. By integrating solar energy with orbital computing, PowerBank is helping create a globally sovereign, AI-enabled digital layer in space , which is a system that can help power finance, communications, and critical infrastructure.”
“Orbit AI is creating the first truly intelligent layer in orbit -- satellites that compute, verify, and optimize themselves autonomously,” said Gus Liu, Co-Founder and CEO of Smartlink AI. “The Orbital Cloud turns space into a platform for AI, blockchain, and global connectivity. By leveraging solar-powered compute payloads and decentralized verification nodes, we are opening an entirely new potentially $700+ billion-dollar market opportunity -- one that combines energy, data, and sovereignty to reshape industries from finance to government and Web3. PowerBank’s expertise in advanced solar energy systems will be significant in supporting this initiative.”
PowerBank intends to complete an initial investment of $50,000 in Orbit AI, providing an option to invest $1 million for equity of 2%, which with the approval of Orbit AI may be increased to up to $10 million for equity of 20%, contingent on agreement on final terms and to be completed prior to the launch of DeStarlink Genesis-1 which is expected in December 2025.
Expansion to 5–8 orbital nodes integrating computing and connectivity is planned for 2026, with full constellation rollout and commercialization of Orbital Cloud services anticipated in 2027-2028 and autonomous network governance, including large-scale orbital computing and communications operations coming online in 2027-2028.
The natural cooling in space is such a clever soltion for handling compute heat, and combining that with solar power actually makes a lot of sense for LEO operations. That $700B market projection seems aggresive but if they can actually pull off autonomous satellites with onboard AI compute, the applications could be huge. I'm curios though how they plan to handle data transfer latencies for real-time applications?