Google’s Next AI Data Center Might Be in Outer Space. The First Test Launches Next Week.

AI data centers aren’t exactly popular down here on Earth. Ask Kevin O’Leary, who had to shrink his Utah project after fierce local pushback. A UMass Amherst poll this month found only 1 in 9 Americans support one going up in their community.

So, Google is scouting a spot no NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) can reach. The company will launch a prototype satellite into space next week carrying its Tensor Processing Units, the custom chips behind its AI services, according to Reuters. It’s the first in-orbit test of Project Suncatcher, a research effort exploring whether massive AI computing clusters could one day run on satellites.

But the real appeal of outer space is power. Solar panels in low Earth orbit can collect up to eight times more energy than panels on the ground, according to Google. SpaceX and Starcloud are chasing the same idea.

The satellite, launching in partnership with Planet Labs, will hitch a ride on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare launch. Google wants to see how the chips survive launch forces, extreme temperatures and radiation, which can cause bit flips (data errors inside the hardware). It will also test a cooling system of heat pipes and radiators, since airflow cooling doesn’t work in a vacuum.

Don’t expect an orbital data center to spring up overnight. Experts say they remain years from commercial viability. In the meantime, Google plans two more satellites in 2027 to test laser links between future computing clusters.

AI data centers aren’t exactly popular down here on Earth. Ask Kevin O’Leary, who had to shrink his Utah project after fierce local pushback. A UMass Amherst poll this month found only 1 in 9 Americans support one going up in their community.

So, Google is scouting a spot no NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) can reach. The company will launch a prototype satellite into space next week carrying its Tensor Processing Units, the custom chips behind its AI services, according to Reuters. It’s the first in-orbit test of Project Suncatcher, a research effort exploring whether massive AI computing clusters could one day run on satellites.

But the real appeal of outer space is power. Solar panels in low Earth orbit can collect up to eight times more energy than panels on the ground, according to Google. SpaceX and Starcloud are chasing the same idea.

The satellite, launching in partnership with Planet Labs, will hitch a ride on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare launch. Google wants to see how the chips survive launch forces, extreme temperatures and radiation, which can cause bit flips (data errors inside the hardware). It will also test a cooling system of heat pipes and radiators, since airflow cooling doesn’t work in a vacuum.

Don’t expect an orbital data center to spring up overnight. Experts say they remain years from commercial viability. In the meantime, Google plans two more satellites in 2027 to test laser links between future computing clusters.