Centralized vs. Decentralized Security for Space AI Systems? A New Look

Abstract

This paper investigates the trade-off between centralized and decentralized security management in constellations of satellites to balance security and performance. We highlight three key AI architectures for automated security management: (a) centralized, (b) distributed and (c) federated. The centralized architecture is the best option short term, providing fast training, despite the hard challenge of the communication latency overhead across space. Decentralized architectures are better alternatives in the longer term, providing enhanced scalability and security.