Google Launches Satellite to Test AI Data Centers in Space

Google is shooting for the stars in its quest to make AI data centers more sustainable. Read on for how the technology company is entering the race to bring these controversial centers to space.

Google Sends AI Data Center Prototype to Space

Several communities across the U.S. are fighting back about AI data centers setting up shop in their backyards. As tech companies look at ways to temper this fight, they are exploring the idea of housing these centers in space. While the idea is still in its infancy, Google is racing to be the first to roll out the initiative.

The Google orbital data center initiative is known as Project Suncatcher. The prototype was launched on Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The rideshare mission, known as Transporter-18, will gather data about the feasibility of AI chips in space.

Specifically, the experimental satellite will aim to determine how Google's tensor processing units (TPUs) perform after being jolted into orbit on top of a rocket. Testers will also look at how the TPUs perform under the pressure of radiation.

“This first launch is about seeing what works, identifying points of failure, and applying those findings to future missions,” explained Travis Beals, Google’s senior director of paradigms of intelligence. The company is planning to send two additional satellites into space in 2027 to continue the research.

Google is not the only company to explore sending data centers into space. SpaceX capitalized on this idea earlier in the year, helping to buoy the company to its successful IPO.

Roadblocks to Orbiting Data Centers

While the idea is good in theory, there are still a lot of questions to be answered. The environment around the Earth presents several challenges that need to be addressed. Google outlined some of these questions in a new video series about the project.

For example, congestion in space already raises the threat of collisions between the orbiting satellites. Adding data centers into the mix will simply add to this threat.

The high radiation levels in space also present challenges for computers, creating errors known as "bit flips." Hardware also does not have as long a shelf life when it is being hit by high-energy particles regularly. Google is encouraged by ground-level tests that attempted to simulate the conditions found in space.

In addition to the radiation, the engineers of the space data centers will need to figure out how to dissipate the heat. The current Earth-side data centers use water to cool the centers. However, the cooling towers that evaporate water to provide cooling will not work in space without the necessary air molecules. As such, any data-processing satellites will need to be engineered with large radiators to send heat away from the processing chips.

Engineers at Google said they plan to test a variety of radiators and heat pipes with the goal of refining the designs as more data is gathered. Despite all of the challenges, some experts believe that the problems will be solvable once more testing is done.

Once more data is gathered, it will be up to the tech companies to determine how cost-effective the hypothetical orbital data centers will be when compared to the existing facilities on Earth. For instance, sending these data centers into space will inherently make it more difficult and costly to upgrade the systems as newer technology emerges. According to recent market analytics firm JLL Research, AI chips “advance every 1–2 years, while satellites last 5–7 years, making hardware obsolescence a persistent challenge."

The high cost of launching the centers is also prohibitive. The one company that has a leg up on this is SpaceX, as it already builds and launches its own rockets. Adding another sector to its existing business model will not be as costly for SpaceX as it would be for other companies starting from the ground up.

As for Google, they insist that they are playing the long game with the goal of making the space data centers a reality. “Just as early research into autonomous driving and quantum computing required years of experimentation before we got to practical systems, exploring compute in space begins with measured, deliberate steps," according to the company.

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