Space data centers (SDCs) are emerging as a promising orbital computing infrastructure for the future AI industry. Unlike conventional satellites that mainly serve as relay nodes or lightweight onboard processors, SDCs integrate communication, computing, storage, and control capabilities in orbit, enabling persistent service support for data-intensive and intelligence-driven space applications. In this article, we investigate how SDCs may transform space communication paradigms from connectivity-oriented data transmission toward task-oriented and service-centric information exchange. We first present a hierarchical SDC network architecture consisting of access, relay, computing, and control layers, and outline possible deployment strategies. We then explore representative future application scenarios enabled by SDCs, highlighting their communication characteristics and associated research challenges. Simulation results further demonstrate the effectiveness of SDCs in reducing control-layer latency in hierarchical space networks. Finally, we identify key research directions toward the practical deployment of SDCs.

翻译：空间数据中心（SDCs）正成为面向未来人工智能产业的新型轨道计算基础设施。与传统卫星主要作为中继节点或轻量级星载处理器不同，SDCs在轨集成通信、计算、存储与控制能力，为数据密集型和智能驱动的空间应用提供持续性服务支撑。本文探讨SDCs如何将空间通信范式从面向连接的数据传输，转变为面向任务与服务的中心化信息交互。首先提出由接入层、中继层、计算层与控制层构成的层级化SDC网络架构，并概述可行部署策略；继而探索SDCs赋能的代表性未来应用场景，重点阐述其通信特征及相关研究挑战。仿真结果进一步验证了SDCs在降低层级化空间网络控制层时延方面的有效性。最后，文章阐明了SDCs实际部署的关键研究方向。