# System architecture

A modular path from task request to execution, evidence and coordination.

Type: Proposed architecture · Reviewed: 4 October 2026

## Five system layers

| Layer | Responsibility | Output |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Request | Define work and constraints | Task specification and acceptance test. |
| Scheduling | Select eligible resources | Assignment and policy trace. |
| Execution | Run the workload | Result and environment record. |
| Measurement | Capture resources and quality | Evidence with explicit boundaries. |
| Coordination | Record acceptance and settlement | Commitment and dispute status. |

## The workload lifecycle

- A requester defines inputs, deadline, location restrictions and acceptance criteria.
- A scheduler filters resources by capability and capacity.
- An operator executes the work and collects telemetry.
- A verifier checks the result and the evidence policy.
- An accepted record can be committed to a coordination layer and linked to settlement.

## A proposed evidence record

These are candidate fields, not a finished API. They should explain how a measurement was produced without exposing sensitive input data.

Comparable records need common definitions. If one operator counts only accelerator power while another counts the whole server, a shared leaderboard would mislead even if both readings were accurate.

```text
workload_id · software_digest · hardware_profile
measurement_boundary · start_time · duration
energy_used · accepted_work · quality_result
operator_signature · evidence_reference
```

## Represent incomplete evidence

A result can exist while its efficiency claim remains unverified. Missing telemetry should never silently become a zero-energy record. Separate output validity from measurement validity.

Differences between repeated runs may reflect variability rather than misconduct. Verification should distinguish unstable results, missing metadata, invalid outputs and policy violations.

## Keep execution environments modular

An initial prototype can use ground infrastructure. Orbital research can remain an additional environment rather than a prerequisite for every module.

This lets SpaceXSI test a narrow proposition first: whether transparent, resource-aware coordination improves a defined workload after all system overhead. Further scope should follow evidence.