EDGX Closes €2.3M Round for Satellite Edge AI Compute

Belgian spacetech innovator EDGX has successfully closed a significant €2.3 million seed funding round, marking a pivotal moment in its mission to revolutionize satellite operations through advanced onboard AI compute. This substantial investment, co-led by the imec.istart future fund and the Flanders Future Tech Fund, managed by the Flemish investment company PMV, underscores a growing industry recognition of the critical need for smarter, more autonomous satellites. The funding is poised to accelerate the commercialization of EDGX Sterna, the company’s cutting-edge edge AI computer designed specifically for the rigors of space.

At the core of EDGX’s offering is the Sterna computer, a high-performance data processing unit (DPU) leveraging NVIDIA Jetson Orin technology. Unlike traditional satellite architectures that rely on sending massive raw datasets back to Earth for processing—a method increasingly seen as a significant bottleneck—Sterna enables complex AI algorithms to run directly in orbit. This shift from a “store-and-forward” approach to “process-and-act” dramatically reduces latency and bandwidth costs, allowing for near real-time insights and decision-making. The Sterna unit is capable of delivering up to 157 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS) of in-orbit compute, ensuring powerful processing capabilities even in the harsh radiation environment of space. Complementing the hardware is EDGX’s SpaceFeather software stack, which provides a space-hardened Linux operating system, autonomous health monitoring, and the ability to deploy new capabilities and software upgrades post-launch, effectively making satellites more adaptable and resilient over their mission lifespans.

The implications of such onboard AI capabilities are vast and transformative for the space industry. Satellites equipped with Sterna can perform intelligent surveillance and reconnaissance by analyzing high-resolution imagery directly. This means immediate detection and flagging of critical events, from identifying ships and vehicles to responding swiftly to natural disasters like floods, wildfires, or earthquakes. Furthermore, the technology promises to enhance spectrum monitoring by classifying radio signals in real-time, optimizing bandwidth allocation, and even paving the way for 5G and future 6G capabilities from orbit by moving base station functions directly into space. This enhanced autonomy minimizes reliance on ground systems, crucial for deep-space missions where communication delays are significant, and streamlines data management by filtering out irrelevant information before transmission.

EDGX, founded in 2023 by Nick Destrycker (CEO) and Wouter Benoot (CTO), aims to position Europe as a leader in AI-driven space infrastructure. The company’s rapid progress is evident not only in its successful funding round but also in its early commercial traction. EDGX has already secured a multi-unit deal with a satellite operator valued at €1.1 million, even before its first in-orbit demonstration. The company has concrete plans for an in-orbit demonstration on a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission in February 2026, with two additional flights already scheduled for later that year, signaling a strong trajectory towards widespread adoption. This proactive approach, coupled with investor confidence, highlights the urgent demand for real-time intelligence from space and the pivotal role EDGX seeks to play in meeting it. As the volume of data generated in space continues to surge, solutions like EDGX Sterna are essential for moving beyond outdated architectures and ushering in an era of truly intelligent and autonomous space operations.