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Google Sets 2027 Launch for Space-Based AI Testbeds Under Project Suncatcher

The effort targets on-orbit trials of TPU satellites to reduce the environmental burden of AI compute.

Overview

  • CEO Sundar Pichai said Google will send “tiny, tiny racks” of TPUs on satellites as a first step in early 2027.
  • Fortune reports Google plans two pilot satellites in partnership with Planet to validate the hardware in Earth orbit.
  • Project Suncatcher envisions swarms of solar-powered satellites running TPUs and linking over laser communications instead of fiber.
  • Pichai projected that extraterrestrial facilities could be seen as a normal way to build data centers in about a decade.
  • Google is simultaneously expanding on Earth with a $40 billion Texas buildout, as rivals like Starcloud test AI hardware in space.