Google will launch an experimental AI satellite on Oct. 1 as part of Project Suncatcher, its effort to eventually build AI data centers in space.
The satellite will carry 4
$GOOGL TPUs and enough compute to answer simple Gemini queries from orbit while testing whether AI chips can reliably operate in space.
Google plans two more satellite launches in 2027 and is already designing potential fleets of 80+ satellites that could work together as an orbital AI data center.
Google estimates space-based data centers could become cost-competitive with terrestrial facilities by the mid-2030s.
Source: NYT