Google To Send TPUs Into Space Next Week On A SpaceX Falcon 9 To Test If AI Data Centres Can Be Built Outside Earth

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced that the company's Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) will be sent into space for the first time next week, aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission. This marks the start of Project Suncatcher, a Google moonshot that aims to build AI data centres in orbit. Pichai confirmed the launch on X, stating that the satellite, co-developed with Earth-imaging company Planet, will test whether TPUs can operate in space.

The mission targets a sun-synchronous orbit, where solar panels are in near-constant sunlight, potentially providing much more power than on Earth. Google has already radiation-tested its TPUs in a particle accelerator, but thermal management and long-term reliability are still concerns. This marks the first of at least two prototype launches, originally planned for early 2027.

The project also echoes Elon Musk's predictions that space will become the cheapest place to run AI, with his SpaceX and AI venture, xAI, planning to deploy up to a million satellites for orbital compute.