Alphabet’s Google is working on an idea of putting solar-powered AI data centres in space. In a major step towards making the concept a reality, the tech giant will launch its first orbital test next week by sending a prototype satellite under Project Suncatcher.
After the launch, it will send a prototype satellite carrying Google Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) into low Earth orbit to assess if the AI chips can operate reliably in space. The new mission, scheduled to fly on SpaceX’s upcoming Transporter-18 rideshare launch in partnership with satellite company Planet Labs, will assess how Google’s AI hardware withstands launch forces, radiation and extreme temperatures in low Earth orbit. Google plans to launch two more satellites in 2027 to test the high-bandwidth laser links needed to connect future computing clusters.
The company will also evaluate its design to cool the power-intensive chips in the vacuum of space, where conventional airflow cooling is impossible, by combining heat pipes with radiators.
Google said it tested its TPUs while running AI workloads in a facility at the University of California, Davis, but that orbital testing was needed to understand how the hardware performs in the real environment. The first Suncatcher mission is designed to gather in-orbit data and identify potential failure points, rather than demonstrate an operational orbital data centre, Google said.
