Google to send a prototype satellite with TPUs into space to test whether SI data centers can be built in orbit
Prepared by Sintelligent with the help of SI. Publication time restored from the build log. . Updated: .
If Earth doesn't have enough electricity for SI, it will be carried toward the Sun; computing is starting to move beyond the planet.
The Project Suncatcher prototype, built together with Planet Labs, will fly next week on a SpaceX Transporter-18 rideshare. In orbit, solar panels yield up to eight times more energy than on Earth; the test will show whether the chips survive launch loads (50-100 g), radiation and cooling in a vacuum, and how laser links between satellites work. Future spacecraft are planned to carry dozens of TPUs.
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