Google and SpaceX Launch 'Fractionalized' Space Data Centers

Google and SpaceX are partnering on a revolutionary project that will bring 'fractionalized' data centers to space. This technology, which is currently being tested, involves dividing massive supercomputer networks into smaller pieces and scattering them across dozens or hundreds of satellites in orbit.

The goal is to achieve massive scale and hyper-localized ad delivery by the mid-2030s, as stated in a Google paper and research. The Federal Communications Commission has already accepted the initial phase of the plan, allowing SpaceX to continue testing the first 100,000 'Starmind' AI computing satellites.

The project is part of Google's larger initiative called Project Suncatcher, which aims to scale machine learning compute in space. Two prototype satellites will be launched by early 2027 to test hardware in orbit and lay the groundwork for a future era of computation in space.