Google has announced the development of Project Suncatcher, under which it plans to launch satellites into orbit that will run on solar energy and power artificial intelligence systems. This is stated in Google's official blog.
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According to the company's calculations, such space installations will be able to generate electricity eight times more efficiently than similar ground-based systems. This could make space the most optimal environment for hosting powerful AI computing systems.
The first experimental mission with two prototype satellites is planned jointly with Planet and is scheduled to take place before early 2027.
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Travis Beals, Senior Director of AI Development, emphasized that Suncatcher is a continuation of Google's tradition of implementing bold engineering ideas that initially seem almost impossible. According to him, the company has already had similar experience with the development of a quantum computer and autonomous cars.
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At the same time, Google acknowledges that the project faces a number of serious challenges - in particular, the need to achieve performance comparable to ground-based data centers and to protect equipment from cosmic radiation. Although the creation of space data centers is currently expensive, the company predicts that by the mid-2030s their cost may be comparable to maintaining ground-based ones.