Google to test AI chips in space under Project Suncatcher

New Delhi: Google is preparing to launch and test its AI chips in space to understand how to scale AI hardware in orbit as part of its Project Suncatcher.

The company said on Thursday it was getting ready for an early test launch and working toward its next milestone in 2027.

Project Suncatcher, which was announced last year, is a long-term research effort to explore whether space could host large-scale AI computing infrastructure. The mission will test hardware survival, cooling processes and satellite interconnectivity for machine learning infrastructure in space.

The first in-orbit test is slated to take place aboard SpaceX’s upcoming Transporter-18 rideshare mission, developed in partnership with satellite company Planet Labs. A prototype satellite carrying Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) will be sent into low Earth orbit.

According to Google, satellites in low Earth orbit can access near-constant sunlight, generating up to eight times more solar power than on Earth, potentially powering energy-intensive AI workloads and sidestepping terrestrial constraints on electricity.

“Exploring space as a viable location for scalable AI compute won’t happen all at once. It takes methodical engineering, starting with proving our hardware can handle the physical and unpredictable realities of operating in orbit. This first launch is about seeing what works, identifying points of failure, and applying those findings to future missions,” Google said in a blog post.

The test will assess how the chips withstand launch forces, radiation and extreme temperatures. Google said it has already tested TPUs under simulated launch vibrations and radiation exposure at the University of California, Davis.

The company plans to launch two more satellites in 2027 to test high-bandwidth laser links needed to connect future computing clusters.