Google sends its 'chips' to space in a refrigerator-sized satellite
Google has launched a prototype satellite carrying four Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) into orbit to test the feasibility of running AI data centers in space. The project, known as Suncatcher, aims to leverage solar energy in low Earth orbit to meet the growing electricity demands of AI infrastructure.
Why it matters
This experiment could revolutionize AI infrastructure by bypassing terrestrial power constraints and local opposition to data center construction.
Google has sent its AI chips to space for the first time. A refrigerator-sized prototype satellite carrying four of the company's Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) lifted off on Thursday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg, California. The launch marks the first in-orbit test of Project Suncatcher, Google's long-term effort to find out whether AI data centres could one day run in space.Built with Planet Labs, the satellite flew on SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission alongside more than 100 other payloads. Project Suncatcher lead Travis Beals later confirmed the team had made contact and the satellite was "operating as expected." Once commissioned, the TPUs will run a version of Google's open-weight Gemma model in 15-minute bursts, a limit set by heat and power constraints. Google wants the mission to last a year.Google CEO Sundar Pichai marked the moment on X.
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