Google Activates 1-Kilowatt AI Satellite, Testing 4 TPUs in Orbit
Updated
Updated · Computerworld · Nov 3
Google Activates 1-Kilowatt AI Satellite, Testing 4 TPUs in Orbit
3 articles · Updated · Computerworld · Nov 3
Summary
Google’s first Suncatcher data center satellite is now operational after its October launch and weeks of checks, and has begun communicating with Earth.
Four onboard Tensor Processing Units power the experiment; the satellite can generate up to 1 kilowatt of electricity—enough to keep one AI chip active for about 20 minutes.
Google used the first test to run DeepMind’s Gemma 4 model, which wrote a haiku about life in space, while the satellite also sent back data on orbital conditions.
The next phase will measure how the chips handle space temperatures and radiation; if results hold up, Google plans to launch two more satellites in 2027.
The longer-term aim is a satellite network that can carry out advanced AI computing in orbit rather than relying solely on ground-based data centers.