Tech giant Google is now going beyond Earth and building a data center in space. The company has announced that it will build its first AI data center in space. This mission is called 'Project Suncatcher,' which CEO Sundar Pichai himself shared on social media.

What is Project 'Suncatcher' and how will it work?
Under this research project by Google, several small satellites will be sent into low-Earth orbit (LEO) or sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), where there is constant sunlight. Each satellite will be equipped with solar panels and Google's Trillium TPUs (Tensor Processing Units) chips, specifically designed for AI training.

All these satellites will be connected using a technology called free-space optical links, which means high-speed data transfer will take place wirelessly using laser light. Initial tests have shown Google achieving 1.6 Tbps bidirectional speed. The company says that the cluster of 81 satellites will fly within a radius of just 1 kilometer, ensuring fast and stable data transfer.

Why Google is building a data center in space
Training AI models requires massive amounts of power and cooling. Limitations on power, water, and land on Earth make this difficult. According to Google Senior Director Travis Bills, "The sun is our solar system's ultimate energy source. It provides 100 trillion times more energy than the Earth's total electricity production."

Solar panels in space will be 8 times more efficient and provide uninterrupted power. This will reduce the carbon footprint and reduce environmental pressure. Google estimates that by 2030, satellite launch costs will drop to $200 per kilogram (approximately ₹17,700), making building a space data center as affordable as building one on Earth.

Technological challenges are also not insignificant.
The biggest challenge in space is radiation, which can damage chips. Keeping this in mind, Google subjected its Trillium TPUs to a 67MeV proton beam test, where they were found to be capable of withstanding radiation up to 15 krad(Si). However, the High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) remains sensitive. The satellites must fly very close together for the optical link to function properly. To achieve this, the company will use the Hill-Clohessy-Wiltshire equations and JAX models.

Two Prototype Satellites to Launch in 2027
Google stated that in partnership with Planet Labs, it will launch two prototype satellites in early 2027. These will test the performance of the Trillium TPU, optical link, and model. If this test is successful, gigawatt-scale satellite constellations will also be developed in the future. This means that AI will be trained directly from space, saving Earth's resources and making AI processing superfast and sustainable.

Google's 'Suncatcher' project is blazing a new trail in the world of technology. Experts believe that if successful, space data centers could become a reality by 2035, which will not only improve AI but also help protect the environment.

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