Google to Test AI Chips in Space for First Time Under Project Suncatcher

• Google says a prototype satellite carrying its AI chips is scheduled to launch next week.
• The mission will test how the chips perform under radiation and extreme temperatures in orbit.
• Google plans further satellite tests in 2027 as it explores the possibility of AI computing in space.

Google plans to send its AI chips into orbit for the first time next week as part of Project Suncatcher, a research programme examining whether satellites could eventually support large-scale AI computing.

The prototype satellite is expected to fly on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission in partnership with satellite company Planet Labs. It will carry Google’s Tensor Processing Units, or TPUs, into low Earth orbit to test how reliably they operate in space.

The mission will examine whether the chips can withstand the forces of launch, exposure to radiation and sharp temperature changes. Space radiation can interfere with electronic systems and cause errors in stored or processed data.

Google said it had already tested TPUs running AI workloads at a University of California, Davis facility. The orbital mission will provide data on how the hardware performs in the conditions it would face in space.

Cooling is another challenge. With no air to carry heat away in the vacuum of space, Google plans to assess a system that uses heat pipes and radiators to prevent the power-intensive chips from overheating.

Project Suncatcher explores the idea of using solar-powered satellites for AI computing. Access to near-continuous sunlight could provide power for such systems, although high launch costs, engineering demands and limits on satellite production remain major obstacles.

Google said the first mission is intended to collect data and identify potential failures, rather than operate as a space-based data centre. It also plans to launch two satellites in 2027 to test the high-bandwidth laser links that future clusters would need to communicate with one another.