Google Launches Satellite Carrying Four TPUs to Test AI Chips in Space - Seoul Economic Daily
Google Launches Satellite Carrying Four TPUs to Test AI Chips in Space - Seoul Economic Daily
摘要: Google Launches Satellite Carrying Four TPUs to Test AI Chips in Space
First Orbital Test of Space Data Center Project 'Suncatcher'
Launched on Spac
正文
Google Launches Satellite Carrying Four TPUs to Test AI Chips in Space
First Orbital Test of Space Data Center Project 'Suncatcher'
Launched on SpaceX Falcon 9, Communication Established
Durability and Bandwidth to Be Verified in Sequence
Seen as Alternative to Power Shortages, but Costs Remain a Hurdle
International
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Published
2026.10.02. 17:32:58
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By Kim Chang-young
kcy@sedaily.com
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An image of Google's TPU. Photo courtesy of Google
SILICON VALLEY — Google has begun its first orbital experiment to test the feasibility of data centers in space. The company set out to verify directly whether artificial intelligence chips, the core of any data center, can withstand radiation and high temperatures and operate normally in orbit as they do on the ground.
Google said it launched four Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on the 1st, and that it had successfully established communication with the satellite. The TPUs are custom AI chips developed by Google and were carried aboard a satellite built by Planet Labs.
The launch marks the first orbital test of the Suncatcher project, which Google first unveiled in November last year. The project aims to build a solar-powered AI data center capable of operating continuously in space. Over the next year, Google will run a large language model (LLM) on the TPUs in orbit and have them carry out simple commands. In the process, the company will collect data on how the chips hold up at extreme temperatures. The satellite, fitted with solar panels, gathers solar energy to supply power.
Before the launch, Google conducted basic chip tests on the ground. The chips went through intense vibration testing to confirm they could withstand the speed of a rocket launch, and AI workloads were run at a nuclear materials research facility to check whether they could avoid damage despite exposure to heavy radiation outs