The experts installed a GPU module called Jetson TX2i made by Nvidia, available on online marketplaces, into a hypersonic aircraft (speed exceeding Mach 7).
Tests showed that this particular module can process computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models with unprecedented performance, reducing the processing time for calculations that previously took seconds to just 25 milliseconds – four times faster than the blink of a human eye.
According to the joint project team from the Beijing Electric Machine Research Institute and Dalian University of Technology, the module's response speed makes it ideal for "real-time optimization of fuel supply systems, fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control in supersonic scramjet engines."
Increase performance, reduce costs
TX2i is an industrial application product of Nvidia - the world's largest AI chip company at present, born about 6 years ago. The highest performance of this module is only 20% compared to the most powerful AI chip - H100.
However, the TX2i's advantage is its low price, only a few hundred dollars compared to tens of thousands of dollars for Nvidia's high-end chips. Moreover, the GPU shortage and Washington's export restrictions make the H100 even more difficult to access. Instead, the TX2i is widely available, not on the banned list, and can be easily found online.
In a scientific paper published in the Journal of Propulsion Technology last month, the project team said that Nvidia's low-cost module helps hypersonic jet engine control systems increase the operating range and stability of hypersonic vehicles, while significantly reducing research and development costs.
This is not the first time Chinese scientists have used American chips in hypersonic weapons research. Previously, some studies used Intel CPUs and high-end Nvidia graphics cards in complex high-speed field simulations.
“High-performance graphics cards have excellent computing capabilities but require supporting devices such as storage platforms, power supplies, and heat sinks,” the team wrote. “They have disadvantages such as high power consumption, heavy weight, and large size, which do not meet the needs of small and light embedded controllers in the aerospace field.”
Strategy Upgrade
The proliferation of hypersonic weapons technology is a major concern for the United States. In 2017, the Rand Corporation suggested that Washington should work with Moscow and Beijing to prevent other countries from acquiring such technology.
Some military experts admit that hypersonic weapons technology poses certain risks, but one of the biggest impacts is that it could accelerate “the collapse of the US-centric world order.”
They argue that hypersonic missiles could penetrate the defenses of the aircraft carrier fleet—a force the United States has long relied on to achieve global military superiority. As a result, if more countries acquire hypersonic weapons, the advantage that a handful of nations with significant naval power have enjoyed for centuries could end.
A growing number of countries, including Germany, France, Japan, North Korea and Iran, have launched hypersonic weapons research and development programs. Even the Houthis, a rebel group that controls much of Yemen, have claimed to have tested a hypersonic missile capable of reaching speeds of Mach 8.
The Chinese team also published a step-by-step guide on how to integrate TX2i into a hypersonic vehicle, including detailed formulations and solutions to potential technical issues such as simulation grid size limitations, memory management, code optimization, and specific compilation guidelines. Even the controller's interface and communication protocol are built according to international standards.
However, the authors also noted that “further research is needed on input modeling, shock wave calibration, and data modeling” in the process of integrating AI chips into vehicles.
Several important parameters related to these tasks often need to be achieved during extensive wind tunnel testing and during actual flights.
SCMP said that despite the positive test results, it is unlikely that China will use the TX2i on its own hypersonic missiles. The country's military will prioritize using chips made by domestic manufacturers to ensure better performance without worrying about reliability and supply chain security.
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