Google tests running AI with sunlight above Earth

Since October 1, a refrigerator-sized satellite carrying four computer chips manufactured by Google has been orbiting Earth. Its mission is to answer a question that the company says is the starting point: Can artificial intelligence equipment withstand the conditions of space?

The satellite launched on a joint SpaceX mission carrying 130 payloads, drawing significant public attention. Google developed it in partnership with Planet, an Earth-imaging satellite company, as part of a project named “Sun Chaser.”

According to Smithsonian magazine, the processing power of the four chips equals that of a single server in a data center. They operate in 15-minute bursts, during which they run the Gemini model and respond to short queries, then shut down to cool off.

The company bets that satellites in low Earth orbit receive nearly continuous sunlight, generating solar power up to eight times greater than what panels on Earth produce. The major challenge, however, is heat. In space, there is no air to cool the chips, so Google is testing a combination of heat pipes and radiators.

The company states that its ground tests have shown its chips can withstand radiation levels exceeding those expected during a five-year mission.

This experiment comes as the International Energy Agency estimates that data centers consumed about 1.5% of the world’s electricity in 2024, with that share potentially doubling by 2030.