Google has taken a significant step towards realizing an ambitious project, building data centers in Earth orbit, which will be used to process large artificial intelligence workloads. The first experimental satellite of the "Suncatcher" project, launched earlier this month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, has become operational and managed to communicate with ground stations.
The device is equipped with four Tensor processors (TPUs), developed by Google for processing artificial intelligence. During the first tests, engineers asked the Gemma 4 model, installed on the satellite, to create a short poem about space. The company confirmed that the satellite is functioning normally, while the current phase of tests will focus on the ability of the processors to cope with the extreme temperatures and radiation in space.
If the tests yield positive results, Google plans to send two more satellites in 2027. These will have greater energy capacity and will be equipped with optical communication systems via laser, enabling faster data exchange.
The goal of the "Suncatcher" project is to create a network of satellites that will function as data centers in orbit, performing advanced processing for artificial intelligence systems. Google aims for this technology to become economically viable during the 2030s, which could open a new chapter in the way computing infrastructures are built and used.
