Google Successfully Tests AI Processing in Orbit

Google has reached a key milestone in its Project Suncatcher initiative, successfully running an AI model on a TPU located in orbit. The project launched a prototype satellite in early October to test if custom AI chips could function outside of traditional data centers.

During a recent ground-station pass, the team sent a command to the onboard Gemma 4 model to write a haiku about space. The satellite successfully processed the request and transmitted the poem back to Earth, confirming the hardware's operational capability.

The initiative seeks to utilize solar power to run AI computing in space, potentially alleviating the need for electricity and physical space on Earth. Following the successful initial test, the company plans to conduct further evaluations regarding how the hardware handles radiation and thermal stress.

The company intends to continue testing throughout the coming years, with a goal of deploying twin interconnected satellites by 2027.