Google’s first chips designed for artificial intelligence are now in orbit around Earth.
On October 1, 2026, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from California carrying several dozen satellites. Among them was the first prototype of Project Suncatcher, a Google program exploring the possibility of one day installing computing centers in space. The satellite, developed with the company Planet, carries four specialized AI chips called TPUs.
Fictional image of a Google satellite
The launch went well. Google and Planet confirmed that they had established contact with the satellite after it reached orbit. According to Google, it was operating normally during the initial checks. Planet also announced that it had begun commissioning the satellite. However, this first success does not mean that the chips have already completed all their tests.
It is precisely their resilience that Google now wants to measure. The components endured the intense vibrations and accelerations of launch. Ground tests had already reproduced some of these stresses, but nothing can replace an actual launch to verify that the entire system can withstand them.
Once in orbit, other difficulties emerge. Particles from space can disrupt electronic circuits and cause errors in their calculations. Before launch, Google had exposed its Trillium-series chips to a beam of protons in the laboratory. They withstood a radiation dose greater than what was expected during a five-year mission.
It also remains to be seen how they handle heat. On Earth, air helps cool computers. In the vacuum of space, that solution obviously no longer works. The satellite must therefore transfer heat to radiators, which release it as radiation. Google wants to verify this system under real orbital conditions.
The in-orbit tests are entering their first phase, but no figures on the chips’ performance have yet been published. It would therefore be premature to claim that they can already perform AI computations sustainably in space. For now, the confirmed result is the satellite’s successful initial operation.
Why attempt this experiment? Google is thinking in particular about solar energy. In certain orbits, panels could receive much more light than they would on the ground, and almost without interruption. In the long term, the company envisions groups of satellites that would share their computations and communicate with one another using lasers.
This second step is to be the subject of another experiment in 2027. Google plans to launch two satellites to test their high-speed laser communications. Until then, the prototype currently in orbit will have to provide data on radiation, cooling, and the real-world operation of its chips.