News NVIDIA and Intel to Develop AI Infrastructure and Personal Computing Products

[DrMrLordX]

Solar arrays launched into space are designed to be pretty tolerant of impacts

Is that possible? We're talking tiny little rocks at relative velocities in the tens of thousands of kmh (or worse, paint chips at the same speeds).

 

[LightningZ71]

They mean cell design. Less expensive panels can completely fail or dramatically reduce output with fairly minor damage. The more exotic panels used in space based applications have a highly redundant cell layouts that can tolerate quite a lot of damage. They are, effectively grids of small panels, though the designs differ quite a bit from most terrestrial panels that prioritize cost over other factors.

 

[Doug S]

They mean cell design. Less expensive panels can completely fail or dramatically reduce output with fairly minor damage. The more exotic panels used in space based applications have a highly redundant cell layouts that can tolerate quite a lot of damage. They are, effectively grids of small panels, though the designs differ quite a bit from most terrestrial panels that prioritize cost over other factors.

Yes, plus if you're talking a square kilometer of solar as in this harebrained scheme if a micrometeorite punching through were to cause a massive 10 meter x 10 meter section to fail from that one tiny hole that's only 0.01% of its power production. It could tolerate 100 such impacts and still be at 99%. They wouldn't even need to design this as well as typical satellite solar arrays since the scale is so massive.

 

[LightningZ71]

The number of strikes per panel will increase as a square of the dimensions. Smaller arrays avoid some debris because those birds are often able to bump their orbit a bit to miss known objects and fields. A data center with multiple square kilometers of array won't be so nimble. Plus, there will always be spots with high criticality that will eventually get hit.

FOD is a real danger.

 

[Doug S]

The number of strikes per panel will increase as a square of the dimensions. Smaller arrays avoid some debris because those birds are often able to bump their orbit a bit to miss known objects and fields. A data center with multiple square kilometers of array won't be so nimble. Plus, there will always be spots with high criticality that will eventually get hit.

FOD is a real danger.

Your problem isn't the array getting hit, it is an impact running in one side of the "datacenter" and out the other, disabling a few million dollars worth of GPUs on the way. That's what you'll steer to avoid problems with. You won't worry about the massive panels because they're so big they can take a lot of hits without any meaningful loss of production.

But yeah the mass of this monstrosity would be a real problem for getting out of the way of known hazards. You might need to have the datacenter be independently maneuverable and connected by long cables to the arrays - superconducting, no doubt! Man, this boondoggle just gets more and more expensive!

 

[LightningZ71]

It's be simpler to park the arrays in a higher, less densely populated orbit, then microwave beam the power to the data center that's parked in a lower orbit for easier servicing. Granted, I don't know anyone that wants a massive directed energy weapon flying around the planet.

 

[jpiniero]

It's be simpler to park the arrays in a higher, less densely populated orbit, then microwave beam the power to the data center that's parked in a lower orbit for easier servicing. Granted, I don't know anyone that wants a massive directed energy weapon flying around the planet.

Project Goldeneye?

 

[Thunder 57]

It's be simpler to park the arrays in a higher, less densely populated orbit, then microwave beam the power to the data center that's parked in a lower orbit for easier servicing. Granted, I don't know anyone that wants a massive directed energy weapon flying around the planet.

Because that worked out so well in, Sim City 2000 was it? It actually did, most of the time.

 

[LightningZ71]

Details...

 

[Thunder 57]

Details...

Microwave Power Plant

The Microwave Power Plant is an advanced power plant in SimCity 2000 and SimCity 3000. In all its appearances, the plant takes on the form of a giant receiver dish and operates by receiving microwaves beamed down by orbiting satellites that collect solar energy in space. The Microwave Power...

simcity.fandom.com

 

[LightningZ71]

No, I meant "that's just the details" in the silly way. I played Sim City 2K extensively. Such giant BBQs...

 

[Hulk]

It's be simpler to park the arrays in a higher, less densely populated orbit, then microwave beam the power to the data center that's parked in a lower orbit for easier servicing. Granted, I don't know anyone that wants a massive directed energy weapon flying around the planet.

Doesn't take much more power/energy to get from a low orbit to a LA.