Google Tests Tensor Processing Units in Orbit to Enable Satellite-Based Computing

Google is sending its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) into orbit for the first time to test their reliability in space. The prototype satellite will be launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission and will assess how the chips withstand launch forces, radiation, and extreme temperature conditions in low Earth orbit.

The mission is part of Project Suncatcher, Google's research effort exploring whether clusters of satellites could host large-scale machine learning infrastructure. The company plans to use laser links for communication between satellites flying relatively close together, requiring precise knowledge of each satellite's position relative to its neighbors.

Initial tests have shown that the TPU chips can withstand a total ionizing radiation dose greater than what they would receive during a five-year space mission. Google is also testing combinations of heat pipes and radiators to move heat away from the processors, which could prove challenging in the vacuum of space.