Bold statement: Xsight Labs just landed a high-visibility victory by powering SpaceX Starlink V3 in orbit, signaling a potential new era for space networking. But here’s where it gets controversial: can a sub-200W, 12.8Tbps chip truly withstand the harsh realities of space, and will this approach redefine how we think about terabit-scale in-space connectivity?
Xsight Labs has repeatedly drawn attention in the networking startup scene. Backed by AMD, Intel Capital, Marvell, and others, the company has earned a notable win by providing the connectivity backbone for SpaceX’s Starlink V3 satellites. The chip at the heart of this deployment is Xsight’s X2, a device we’ve discussed before in coverage such as Xsight Labs X2 12.8T Network Switch Goes Universal.
To recap briefly, the X2 is a compact switch designed for edge and space-limited environments. While many contemporary switches in the market exceed 51.2Tbps or more, the X2 delivers 12.8Tbps. This places it in a different lane from the large-scale AI-dedicated switches pursued by Broadcom and others, prioritizing lower power and smaller form factors. In fact, the X2 operates under 200W and uses TSMC’s N5 process, making it suitable for constrained environments where heat, power, and maintenance logistics are critical considerations.
The notable development announced today is that the X2 will be integrated into SpaceX’s Starlink V3 satellites to support terabit-per-second-scale networking in space. Space introduces unique environmental demands that diverge significantly from conventional data-center networking, and serviceability challenges differ as well. You can’t simply file a support ticket to swap a satellite switch when it’s orbiting Earth. SpaceX’s selection of the X2 implies a strong trust in its reliability and performance under the rigors of space operations.
According to Michael Nicolls, VP of Starlink Engineering at SpaceX, the X2 is poised to be a central component in the terabit routing capabilities of Starlink’s next-generation satellites. This statement comes from a SpaceX press release confirming the collaboration and highlighting the X2’s role in enabling gigabit-level connectivity for in-space networking.
Final thoughts
For Xsight Labs, this is a landmark demonstration of the company’s capabilities, especially given the unusual and prestigious nature of the application. With ongoing chatter about AI-focused data centers in space, the Starlink/V3 partnership could hint at an emerging field of space networking, in which Xsight Labs might emerge as an early trailblazer. Either way, the achievement is impressive and underscores the potential of compact, power-efficient switches in far-reaching deployments.
If you’re curious about Xsight Labs’ 800G DPU, the Xsight Labs E1—an 800G, 64-core ARM-based DPU showcased for Hammerspace AI storage—will be the focus of an upcoming feature next week as we launch a series on that 64-core Neoverse design.
