Nvidia's artificial intelligence (AI) chips will be used in lunar exploration missions beyond Earth. The company is extending its reach from AI data centers to the space robotics market.
Space infrastructure and robotics startup Luna Outpost said on the 23rd (local time) that it will equip its unmanned lunar rover with Nvidia's AI computing platform for robots, Jetson.
The rover will use Jetson and Nvidia's AI software library CUDA-X to perform lunar surface mapping, Autonomous Driving, data processing, and communications.
If the plan proceeds as scheduled, Jetson is expected to become the first GPU to operate on the lunar surface. TechCrunch, an IT trade outlet, said, "It could become the first case of a GPU operating on the moon."
Jetson was chosen for this mission instead of Blackwell or Rubin, the highest-performance data center GPUs, because it is optimized for power efficiency and a compact form factor. Jetson can perform AI computation independently even in environments where consolidation with external data centers is limited, making it well-suited for space exploration robots.
The lunar lander carrying Luna Outpost's rover is scheduled to launch within the year aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, the space company founded by Elon Musk.
Justin Cyrus, Luna Outpost's chief executive officer (CEO), said, "Resuming lunar exploration does not end with landing a rover," and added, "Our goal is to build foundational technologies so people can work, live, and build in space." He added, "We are proud to partner with Nvidia, which set the standard for advanced AI computing."
Luna Outpost also plans to apply the Nvidia Space-1 Vera Rubin module, developed for the space environment, in future missions.