Google's Project Suncatcher to send TPUs to orbit, aiming for a satellite data center by 2027
rohanpaul_ai · x · 2026-09-25
Google unveiled Project Suncatcher, an effort to move AI compute off Earth. CEO Sundar Pichai announced a prototype satellite carrying TPUs, built with Planet, will hitch a ride on SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission to test whether TPUs can survive and operate in space.
Key plans:
- Two satellites launching in 2027, running AI workloads together via laser links
- Inter-satellite laser communication (fiber optics without the cable) already demonstrated at 800Gbps each way in lab tests
- The goal is a satellite network operating as a distributed data center in orbit, with data-center-class bandwidth between nodes
The move signals a long-term bet on orbital solar power and thermal advantages as the next frontier of AI compute infrastructure. A full video is available on Google's official YouTube channel.
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