Google Tests Artificial Intelligence Chips in Space

Google will launch a test satellite next week, trialing its own AI chips in space for the first time. Project Suncatcher aims to determine how feasible it might be, in the future, to place large AI infrastructure beyond Earth's boundaries.

The satellite will be equipped with Google's TPU chips and will reach low orbit aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission. The company will test how the equipment withstands the stresses of launch, cosmic radiation, and sharp temperature changes. A separate test will address chip cooling, since conventional air-based cooling systems don't work in a vacuum.

One of the advantages of placing data centers in space is the ability to use solar energy almost continuously. This could help ease some of the challenges companies face on Earth related to electricity shortages.

The goal of the first mission is not to create an operational data center. Google will gather technical data and study what problems might arise from operating chips in space. The company plans to launch two more satellites in 2027.

Source: Reuters