Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Spaceborne Computer-2 onboard the International Space Station. Photo: NASA

Booz Allen Hamilton deployed a generative AI large language model (LLM) in space onboard the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab, the company announced Aug. 1. The LLM was uploaded to the Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) Spaceborne Computer-2 onboard the ISS.

In the payload experiment, the team uploaded the LLM repeated the experiment with new queries four times within the command window with repeatable responses. 

Explaining the demonstration in a news release, Dan Wald, principal AI solutions architect for space applications at Booz Allen, said the proof-of-concept demonstrated generative AI techniques including retrieval-augmented generation, by compressing and optimizing a containerized solution to run in the computing environment of the ISS. “If we can deploy generative AI in space, we can deploy it anywhere,” Wald said. 

“Generative AI in space is truly the new frontier and this capability unlocks the potential for on-orbit generative AI to integrate and develop mission-critical solutions and is aligned with Booz Allen’s mission to build human-led AI solutions from which our nation will thrive,” commented Chris Bogdan, executive vice president at Booz Allen and leader of the firm’s Space business.