Google이 다음 주에 궤도 데이터 센터 프로토타입인 Project Suncatcher의 첫 번째 테스트를 시작합니다.

Google will launch its AI chips into orbit for the first time next week as Project Suncatcher, its space data center program, takes another step forward. The hyperscaler will conduct its first orbital test, launching a prototype satellite to evaluate how its Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) AI hardware performs in space.

Project Suncatcher was first announced last year, with Google stating it would have a two-satellite constellation operational by 2027. It is part of a broader wave of space data center projects undertaken by major tech companies exploring whether off-planet compute can provide additional capacity for AI workloads. SpaceX and Blue Origin have both announced this year that they are seeking regulatory approval for orbital compute clusters.

The initial deployment will launch aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission, which will carry craft from multiple vendors into low Earth orbit. The mission is scheduled to launch on October 1. Google has developed the system in partnership with satellite firm Planet Labs.

Google has named the prototype MVP, and according to reporting from the New York Times, it will feature four TPUs powered by solar panels supplying 1kW. The system was developed in partnership with satellite firm Planet Labs. In a blog post, Travis Beals, Google's senior director for paradigms of intelligence, outlined the technical challenges the team addressed to prepare its compute infrastructure for space.

To combat the vibrations and extreme g-forces the chips will experience during launch and in low Earth orbit, the Suncatcher team conducted vibration testing by shaking the satellite along all three axes to mimic rocket launch frequencies. "Tests like this rarely go as planned, so we were pleasantly surprised that the hardware held up to the force," Beals said.

The TPUs underwent additional testing at UC Davis's Crocker Nuclear Laboratory in a proton beam facility while running AI workloads, simulating exposure to the high levels of radiation outside Earth's atmosphere. "During the test, we monitored closely to see how errors, like a bitflip, would affect our workloads," Beals said. "Initial results have shown that our Trillium TPUs hold up remarkably well, and can survive a radiation total ionizing dose greater than what they would receive during a five-year space mission."

While space's cold environment is often cited as a potential benefit for orbital data centers, the lack of atmosphere means there is no airflow to dissipate heat from components. Google is developing multiple cooling approaches, including "a combination of heat pipes and radiators to cool the chips." Beals said the team has tested this technology in a thermal vacuum chamber simulating both the thermal and vacuum environment of space. "We'll see how our new TPU cooling system works in space and refine our designs as we learn more."

Google has previously described its vision as 1-kilometer arrays of 81-satellite compute clusters connected via laser links. Constellations like SpaceX's Starlink already use laser-based communication. "The technology in space already exists," Beals explained, "but most state-of-the-art systems are optimized for low bandwidth across large distances, whereas our lasers need to operate at very high bandwidth over extremely short distances. Maintaining the necessary connection requires extraordinary precision, similar to hitting a coin-size target from miles away while both points are in motion. We'll test our work on this in 2027 when we put two satellites in orbit."