Google Aims for Orbit with AI-Powered Data Center
Google is set to launch its 'MVP' satellite into space on Thursday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California. The project, known as Project Suncatcher, aims to test an AI data center in orbit that will run Google's Gemini AI on four custom chips powered by solar panels.
The MVP satellite is about the size of a fridge and will be used to answer simple queries for about a year while Google studies whether its chips can handle radiation, extreme temperatures, and cooling in a vacuum. Engineers have developed a layered heat-shedding system to replace fans, which don't work in space.
Google leaders say they don't expect anything commercially useful from the project for years, but are already planning additional satellites and eventually a fleet that functions as a massive orbital data center.