Google to Send AI Chips to Space in Early Test for Orbital Data Centers
The mission will gather in-orbit data on launch stress, radiation and extreme temperatures as Google tests whether AI chips can operate reliably in space.
- On October 1st, Google will launch a prototype satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to test its Tensor Processing Units in low Earth orbit as part of Project Suncatcher.
- Project Suncatcher explores whether space could host large-scale AI computing infrastructure; panels in low Earth orbit collect up to eight times more solar power than on the ground.
- Travis Beals, Project Suncatcher senior director of product management, told the NYT the chips can only run for about 15 minutes before cooling; the hardware withstood radiation doses exceeding a five-year mission.
- To manage heat in orbit's vacuum, Google partnered with Planet Labs to test heat pipes and radiators; research indicates launch costs must fall to about $200 per kilogram to compete economically.
- Industry leaders including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Google CEO Eric Schmidt have floated space-based data centers as alternatives to terrestrial infrastructure, as Google plans to launch two satellites in 2027.
142 Articles
142 Articles
Infinite expanse and extremely low temperatures: Space could have potential for data centers that use resources on Earth. Google is now taking a first step in this direction - despite technical hurdles. By David Beck.
Can AI data centers operate in space? With imminent test launch, Google is on a mission to find out
By Jackie Wattles, CNN (CNN) — As rural communities across the United States wage intensifying battles to keep AI-computing data centers out of their backyards, some tech giants are mulling methods that could sidestep such local resentment — by sending the facilities to space.There are no guarantees the technology will work, nor is it clear
Google is taking Elon Musk’s space data center idea seriously
Elon Musk has long proselytized about the potential of space-based data centers. But as of today, he’s no longer alone in touting the idea of sending the hardware that powers AI into orbit. Google is launching a test satellite as part of Project Suncatcher, its effort to eventually put data centers in space. The satellite will hitch a ride aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Musk’s SpaceX. Musk’s pronouncements about orbiting data centers have often b…
Alphabet is sending its own artificial intelligence chips into space to test their suitability for satellite AI infrastructure. The company will launch the experimental device into orbit aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, bringing it one step closer to building data centers in space, CNBC reported.
Google takes a first test this Thursday to see whether or not the equipment can work miles above our heads. Part of the space community denounces the polluting nature of this project.
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