Google Launches Experimental Satellite as Part of Ambitious Space-Based AI Project

Google is taking a significant step towards developing space-based AI data centers. The company's Project Suncatcher aims to harness the power of solar energy in orbit to run artificial intelligence programs, rather than relying on Earth's resources.

The first concrete step in this endeavor will be taken by Alphabet (GOOG +0.68%) (GOOGL +1.10%), which is planning to launch an experimental satellite on October 1. The satellite, outfitted with Google's tensor processing units (TPUs) and solar panels, will have the computing power of one data center server and operate on 1 kilowatt of solar power to answer simple AI queries.

The project has been in development for a year, with Google scientists believing that satellites can generate eight times as much solar power as solar panels on Earth because they receive near-constant sunlight. By linking multiple satellite constellations, the company aims to manage large AI workloads from orbit.