Google launched on October 1 a refrigerator-sized satellite carrying four AI chips (TPUs) into low Earth orbit as part of Project Suncatcher, developed in partnership with Planet Labs. The solar-powered satellite will test for one year how these chips withstand launch vibrations, radiation, and extreme thermal conditions in space. Due to cooling constraints in orbit, Google can only operate the chips in 15-minute intervals. This project aims to prove the viability of orbital data centers, while SpaceX plans up to one million data-center satellites and Blue Origin filed a proposal for 51,600 satellites. Other startups are also testing AI chips in space, including Starcloud with an Nvidia H100 chip and Cowboy Space Corp., founded by Robinhood cofounder Baiju Bhatt.
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