Google sends artificial intelligence into space. Project Suncatcher is the tech giant’s craziest plan yet

The sun emits over 100 trillion times more energy than humanity produces globally. In the right orbit, solar panels are up to 8 times more efficient than those installed on Earth.

This private Vast Space space station will surprise NASA. The commercial orbital station Haven-1 will be launched in 2026

Google Research has revealed the foundations of Project Suncatcher, which involves modular satellite constellations in heliosynchronous orbit, where solar panels are 8 times more productive than on Earth. Each satellite will receive Trillium (v6e) TPU chips. These are specialized sixth-generation AI accelerators. One element important for success are optical inter-satellite links (FSO) reaching speeds of up to tens of terabits per second. Satellites must fly in a tight formation, only hundreds of meters apart, or a kilometer at most. Google has already tested a demo version that achieves throughput of 1.6 Tbps thanks to advanced light data transfer techniques. The biggest challenge, in the case of satellites and the accelerator, is cosmic radiation.

Bezos is preparing a revolution. Data centers in space are expected to be built in 10 years. Solar energy 24/7 and no weather restrictions

Tests of Trillium systems with a 67 MeV proton beam surprised engineers. The HBM memories showed abnormalities only at a dose three times higher than expected for a five-year mission. Commercial TPUs have proven to be surprisingly resistant without special protection. The economic challenge is equally significant. SpaceX’s analysis shows a steady 20% reduction in costs. with each doubling of mass put into orbit. If the pace is maintained, the price could fall below $200 per kilogram by 2035, making orbital centers comparable in cost to terrestrial ones.

ISS in Real Time is a quarter of a century of the International Space Station in one place. Archive created for the 25th anniversary

Google will launch in collaboration with Planet Labs. Two prototypes will launch in early 2027, testing TPU and optical interconnects in distributed machine learning tasks. The project fits into the broader trend we have already described. Bezos announces gigawatt centers within 10-20 years, Musk confirms SpaceX’s interest in using Starlink V3, and Starcloud plans a November test with the NVIDIA H100 card. The race for orbital data centers has just begun. Google has an advantage thanks to its own TPU systems and detailed research, but the biggest unknown remains how quickly the rocket industry will reduce the costs of putting equipment into orbit.

Źródło: Google Research Blog, Data Center Dynamics, Planet Labs, Ars Technica