Could AI data centers run in space? Google launches its first test
Google launched a refrigerator-sized satellite carrying four of its AI chips from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to test technology for possible orbital data centers. The Project Suncatcher experiment will examine how AI hardware performs under space radiation, extreme heat and limited cooling, while potentially benefiting from near-constant solar power.
Google launched its first in-orbit test for Project Suncatcher aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The refrigerator-sized MVP satellite carries four Google tensor processing units and will run basic Gemini AI queries for about a year, testing whether the company’s hardware can withstand launch forces, radiation and the challenges of cooling in space.
Google says orbital data centers could eventually address growing AI electricity demand because satellites receive nearly constant sunlight and may generate substantially more solar power than ground-based systems. The effort comes as conventional data centers face electricity, water-use and community opposition concerns. SpaceX is also pursuing plans for as many as 1 million orbital data center satellites, while other technology leaders have expressed support for the concept.