Google Sends AI Chips to Space in Refrigerator-Sized Satellite Launch

Google has launched its first satellite carrying AI chips into space aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The refrigerator-sized prototype satellite, built in collaboration with Planet Labs, carries four Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) that will run a version of Google's Gemma model in 15-minute bursts due to heat and power constraints.

The successful launch marks the first in-orbit test of Project Suncatcher, Google's long-term effort to explore whether AI data centers can one day run in space. The team aims to commission the TPUs for a year-long mission, with radiation and heat being the real tests for the chips in space.

Google wants to harness sunlight to power its AI data centers in orbit, which could potentially generate up to eight times more energy than on Earth. This idea is gaining traction as AI's electricity demands climb and data center projects face growing local opposition.