TREE NEWS reports: SpaceX is developing a custom version of Nvidia’s Vera Rubin NVL72 rack, codenamed Kessel, that replaces internal NVLink cable assemblies with a passive PCB midplane, semiconductor research firm SemiAnalysis said. The design retains 72 GPU packages, 18 compute trays and 9 switch trays, with components mounted back-to-back on either side of the midplane, and is planned for both terrestrial and space applications.
SpaceX Developing Custom Nvidia Vera Rubin NVL72 Rack, SemiAnalysis Says
The Kessel design matters less as a SpaceX story than as a signal that Nvidia's flagship rack architecture is becoming customizable at the interconnect level, with a passive PCB midplane replacing NVLink cabling. That shifts engineering leverage toward hyperscaler-scale customers with the resources to co-design, and puts pressure on cable-assembly suppliers in the NVLink ecosystem. The space application claim is the wildcard: orbital compute would face thermal and radiation constraints no terrestrial rack addresses. Whether Kessel reaches production, and whether the midplane approach spreads to other Nvidia customers, is the open question.
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