Google Sends AI Hardware to Space in Bid for Sustainable Data Centres

Google has announced that its Project Suncatcher is ready for a trial, aiming to explore whether space can host scalable machine learning infrastructure. The company plans to send AI hardware to test how well it operates in space on the Transporter-18 ride-share mission with SpaceX.

Data centres are often criticized for their noise, size, and intense energy needs, but setting them up in outer space could solve some of these problems. Google says that satellites in low Earth orbit can access near-constant sunlight, generating up to eight times more solar power than on Earth.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, discussed putting AI infrastructure in orbit at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. He predicted that SpaceX might be able to put a working data centre in space as soon as 2027.

Ariel Ekblaw, founder and chief executive of the Aurelia Institute, has expressed skepticism about the feasibility of orbital data centres. She pointed out several engineering challenges, including the cold temperatures in space, radiation, and the difficulty of upgrading technology.