BSA-CIM
Orbital Compute
Bit-Shift Accumulate · Compute-in-Memory.
One processor architecture. Nine concurrent missions.
All figures modeled or assumed unless noted. See spec table below.
What is BSA-CIM?
Bit-Shift Accumulate
Neural-network weights are encoded in Canonical Signed-Digit (CSD) representation — a sum of signed powers of two. Every term is a single binary decision: present, present-negated, or absent. This replaces costly multiply-accumulate (MAC) operations with integer bit-shifts.
Compute-in-Memory
Instead of moving weights from memory to a separate compute die (the "memory wall"), computation happens where the data lives — inside the RRAM array. Because BSA terms are binary, RRAM cells only need two states (not 8–16 analog levels), which matches foundry-qualified embedded NVM processes.
The load-bearing advantage
Conventional Compute-in-Memory research has stalled for a decade because multi-level-cell analog storage requires precise conductance states that drift over time. BSA solves this by needing only binary states — matching the reliability bar foundries already meet, not the analog precision bar no one has cleared at volume.
Slice-skipping (the energy mechanism)
CSD terms are structurally sparse — most bit-plane positions are zero. The BSA-CIM array skips computation on zero-valued bit planes entirely. Fewer active cells per computation = fewer ADC conversions = less energy. This is what drives the 0.239 pJ/MAC array-level figure vs. 0.716 pJ/MAC for dense bit-serial — a ~3× array-level win.
IP
Sibacus '522 patent (IPOS provisional, filed May 19 2026) — establishes bit-shift operation as simplified multiplication. PCT conversion planned before Month 12.
Software Defined Compute
BSA is not merely an energy optimisation — it is the foundation of a radical architectural shift. One hardware fabric. Every computational domain. No specialised silicon required.
The core insight
The BSA hardware is radically simplified and domain-agnostic. All domain-specific behaviour resides in the coefficient tables loaded into the same physical hardware. No hardware modification is required between domains — only the coefficient tables change.
Before BSA — Hardware Defined
6+ specialised silicon dies. Years of hardware design per domain.
After BSA — Software Defined
Domain switching = loading a new coefficient table. New algorithms require new firmware, not new silicon.
Neural network inference
Transformer LLM forward pass, attention, feed-forward
Diffusion model generation
U-Net and DiT denoising architectures
MIMO beamforming / 5G baseband
OFDM demodulation, channel estimation, DFT
Radar matched filtering
Chirp reference coefficient loading
FIR/IIR signal processing
Filter tap coefficient loading
PID / Kalman control
State transition and gain coefficient loading
Scientific & financial compute
Conductance matrix, pricing model coefficients
Triple-duty die
The most commercially significant SDC embodiment: a single Sibacus die simultaneously serves AI inference, diffusion model generation, and 5G baseband — replacing both a GPU and a baseband processor in a single chip.
What this means for EquaSat
A single BSA-CIM satellite carries one unified hardware fabric. Loading a sovereign AI model coefficient table makes it an inference node. Loading SAR signal-processing coefficients makes it an Earth observation processor. Loading navigation and control coefficients makes it an autonomous orbital vehicle. Nine missions. One chip. Domain switching via software update — no new hardware, no new launches.
Why Orbit Changes Everything
BSA-CIM's dormant-weight property — zero standby power — is exceptionally decisive in orbit, where every watt costs mass and mass costs money. Here is how BSA-CIM compares to GPU-class compute across six orbital physics barriers.
Equatorial LEO solar bonus
Solar panels in LEO are ~40% more productive per panel than on the ground. Equatorial orbit provides the highest solar flux of any orbital regime — 12+ kW continuous, zero fuel cost per watt. BSA-CIM's dormant weights mean standby power is near zero, stretching every watt directly into active inference.
Three-Layer Workload Architecture
The orbital compute platform runs three independent workload layers simultaneously. The key design principle: keep the satellite link thin by keeping intelligence at the edges.
General Sovereign Core
National scale7B–70B national model(s). Frontier-grade general inference for all populations served. An "edge translation sandwich" keeps the link thin — dialect translation happens on-device, the satellite sends and receives text only.
Specialist Portfolio
Sector scaleIndependent fine-tuned models in dedicated silicon tiles — dormant at zero power until routed to. Includes agriculture (rice/corn/coconut agronomy), fisheries/maritime, health triage, and disaster-response protocols. Each is independently updatable and independently ownable by a ministry.
Dialect Layer
Personal scaleLives on edge devices, not the satellite. S-Neo/traFIX resident models strip all traffic to text before it touches the satellite link — keeping downlink requirements at ~240 KB/s regardless of how many users are served.
Each of the nine mission programs — from Forest Shield to EquaNet — maps onto this three-layer compute stack. The specialist models in Layer 2 are what transform a general-purpose satellite into a sector-specific intelligence platform.
Read the mission dossiersS-Orbit Constellation
Three-tier scaling ladder from demonstration to planetary-scale sovereign compute.
BSA-CIM ASIC off GF 22FDX MPW · ground validation · ITU spectrum filing · flight qualification
12U CubeSat demo + 16 × Tier-3 smallsats · SE Asia corridor · ~3B people
+16 satellites · 4 planes · West/East Africa, LatAm (~1.5B more)
48 satellites · Walker 30:48/6/1 · 5.5–6.0B people · SCC fully operational
Walker 30:48/6/1
altitude
~75% of humanity
(Phase 2)
Per-nation share (15 SCC members): $137–140M — less than most single-datacenter budgets. Annual OpEx per nation: $23–25M.
Nine Missions.
One Platform.
The BSA-CIM platform is the reason EquaSat can run sovereign AI inference, deforestation monitoring, maritime surveillance, broadband, and carbon verification simultaneously — from a single satellite in equatorial orbit.