Klepsydra awarded ESA contract

Klepsydra from Volketswil in the canton of Zurich has been awarded a contract worth 175,000 euros by the European Space Agency (ESA). As part of this agreement, the Zurich-based specialist for embedded software will be tasked with the development of high-performance, radiation-hardened onboard processing capabilities on the basis of Artificial Intelligence (AI), further details of which can be found in the company’s press release.

These are to be used in an HPDP-40, a particularly radiation-hardened, powerful co-processor that was specially developed for space applications. As Klepsydra explains, it opens up new possibilities for advanced data processing in space. However, this does lack a generic AI framework specifically tailored to this co-processor.

However, a “groundbreaking solution” is now in sight in the form of Klepsydra AI. At its core, this is based on the Streaming Distribution Optimizer (SDO). In a project referred to as MANDALA, the Klepsydra AI and SDO are now to be adapted specifically for AI execution on the HPDP co-processor. The aim here is to counteract the existing lack of space-qualified AI inference solutions.

In this context, Klepsydra will seek to ensure compatibility with the most important AI frameworks, thereby rendering HPDP-specific coding superfluous. Therefore, the company writes, this innovation harbors the potential to facilitate AI applications in future ESA missions that demand high availability, such as landing modules and deep space robotics: “Ultimately, this project could establish a fully European hardware/software stack, reinforcing Europe’s capability to leverage AI in space”, the press release explains. ce/mm