Leadership and Companies
Google Tests AI Chips in Orbit for Space-Based Computing
Google’s Project Suncatcher will test whether its AI chips can operate reliably in orbit.
What happened
Google is preparing Project Suncatcher’s first in-orbit test: a prototype satellite on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission, developed with Planet. The satellite will evaluate Google Tensor Processing Units under launch vibration, radiation and the thermal constraints of vacuum. Rocket acceleration can reach 10 g, while individual components may experience 50–100 g. Ground tests found Trillium TPUs survived radiation doses exceeding those expected during a five-year mission. Google is also testing heat pipes and radiators for cooling. Longer-term designs could carry dozens of TPUs per satellite, with laser links between satellites tested in 2027.
Why it matters
The mission tests whether space can support scalable AI infrastructure, using near-constant sunlight but requiring new solutions for radiation, cooling and high-bandwidth satellite links.
Source: Google Blog