Google prepares to test AI chip in space

Google announced on Thursday that it will launch a prototype satellite to evaluate how its artificial intelligence chips perform in space.

In a blog post, Google stated: “In low Earth orbit, satellites can access sunlight almost continuously, generating up to eight times more solar energy than what is produced on Earth.”

It added: “Ultimately, it may be possible to link multiple satellite constellations, enabling them to manage larger AI workloads while in orbit.”

Google said that “Tensor” processing units will be loaded onto a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket next week to test how they handle “the physical stresses associated with spaceflight, in addition to radiation and extreme temperatures in space.”

The company added: “Some things can only be tested in space... This initial launch aims to determine what works, identify failure points, and apply those findings to future missions.”

It concluded: “Exploring space as a scalable site for AI-specific computing will not happen overnight. It requires an engineering approach, starting with proving that our devices can handle the physical and unexpected realities of operating in orbit.”