Google Tests AI Chips in Orbit as Part of Solar-Powered Data Center Push

Google is sending its first AI chips into orbit aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission on September 28. The Trillium TPUs will test their performance in space, collecting data on radiation and heat. This is an early step in Project Suncatcher, a plan to power data centers with nearly constant sunlight.

The idea of using solar panels in orbit could help AI companies expand computing while easing pressure on local grids. Google estimates that its solar panels in orbit could produce up to eight times the energy of those on Earth. However, cooling poses a challenge in space, where there is no airflow to carry heat away.

Google's design relies on heat pipes and radiators to cool the chips. A separate experiment planned for 2027 will test laser links between two satellites. Future designs would carry dozens of TPUs on each spacecraft.

Data center projects face resistance due to noise, power demand, and electricity costs. In Lowell, Massachusetts, residents complained about cooling equipment noise and generator fumes. The city council voted unanimously in February 2026 to halt further data center expansion for a year.

Google's cost model suggests launch prices could fall below $200 per kilogram by the mid-2030s. At that level, the company estimates that launch and operating costs could approach the energy costs of equivalent computing on Earth. However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman questioned whether space data centers could reach meaningful scale this decade due to launch economics and the difficulty of fixing failed GPUs in space.