SCCC Success story: Connecting Spacemetrics and KTH on energy-efficient space computing

An introduction made through the Swedish Chip Competence Center (SCCC) brought together Swedish space technology company Spacemetric and researchers at KTH. The collaboration that grew from it has since led to SPEED, a project funded by ESA and Vinnova to develop next-generation energy-efficient computing for space applications. SPEED aims to dramatically reduce power consumption while maintaining the high performance needed for advanced satellite image processing.

The challenge

Spacemetric specialises in advanced image processing for satellite and drone applications, a field where algorithms demand immense computational power. Today these workloads typically run on high-performance Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). FPGAs provide the required performance, but they consume significant energy and occupy valuable space, both critical constraints in aerospace.

SCCC’s role: making the connection

Per-Erik Hellström at SCCC introduced Professor Ahmed Hemani at KTH, whose position is partly funded by SCCC, to Spacemetric’s computing challenge. SCCC facilitated the initial contact and the early discussions in which the partners explored the potential for a custom silicon solution that could deliver the same computational performance at substantially lower power.

From collaboration potential to a funded project

After an initial joint Vinnova application in 2025 with KTH, Spacemetric and the infrared sensor company IRnova, the partners refined their approach and submitted a new proposal. It resulted in a successful grant from ESA and Vinnova for the project SPEED: Space Processing on Edge, which runs from December 2025 to December 2026. The project partners are KTH, Spacemetric and Uppsala based AAC Clyde Space, and the technical work is carried out and funded within SPEED.

SPEED uses KTH’s SiLago (Silicon Lego) design framework to map Spacemetric’s most demanding image-processing algorithms onto a custom chip architecture. The goal is to demonstrate at least a tenfold improvement in energy efficiency over current FPGA-based solutions while maintaining equivalent computational performance. For rigorous benchmarking, AAC Clyde Space will develop the reference FPGA implementation used for comparison.

Towards more sustainable space systems

If successful, the project could enable longer satellite lifetimes, lower power requirements and more capable onboard image processing, strengthening Sweden’s position in both space technology and advanced semiconductor innovation.

By connecting research excellence with industrial needs at an early stage, SCCC helps create collaborations that can grow into funded projects and new technology.

About Spacemetric

Spacemetric, part of the AAC Clyde Space Group, is a leading provider of geospatial data management systems for satellite and airborne imaging and video sensors. The company´s software transforms raw data into imagery products ready for analytics and AI. Spacemetric was founded in Sweden over two decades ago and today deliver affordable, high-performance solutions to sensor operators and manufacturers, solution integrators, and large users of image data in both the civilian and defence sectors. Spacemetric

About AAC Clyde Space

AAC Clyde Space AB provides small satellite technologies and services that help governments, businesses and institutions access high-quality data from space. The Group is headquarted in Uppsala, with operations also in the UK, the Netherlands, South Africa and the USA.
AAC Clyde Space | Space Data & Satellite Constellation Providers