Sophia Space and Caltech Announce Patent for Space-Based Data Center Architecture

Sophia Space has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 12,679,564 for a space-based data center architecture jointly owned with Caltech.

The patent, filed in October 2024 and issued on July 14, 2026, covers modular systems designed to operate large-scale computing and data storage infrastructure in space.

The architecture uses solar energy to power onboard computers and storage systems, while dissipating heat by radiating it into deep space. Sophia Space said the design was developed to address the thermal and operational challenges of running data centers outside Earth's atmosphere.

The patent lists seven inventors from JPL, Caltech, and Sophia Space, including Dr. John R. Brophy, Dr. Leon Alkalai, and Professor Sergio Pellegrino.

Alkalai, who founded Sophia Space in 2023, said conventional data center designs cannot simply be transferred to orbit and that space-based computing requires a different approach to energy management and cooling.

Sophia Space said the invention builds on earlier work from Caltech's Space Solar Power Project and from research at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Brophy said the patent reflects a path from federally funded research to commercial intellectual property and highlights collaboration between JPL, Caltech, and industry.

Image Credits: Sophia Space