Google’s ‘Project Suncatcher’ Aims to Power AI Data Centers from Space

Google’s Project Suncatcher aims to power AI data centers from space using solar satellites — a bold new step in the future of computing and energy.

Google is taking its “moonshot” reputation to new heights by moving its data centers… to space?

The tech giant has announced Project Suncatcher, an ambitious research initiative aimed at testing whether AI computing could one day be powered by solar satellites orbiting the Earth.

Introduced through a blog post by Travis Beals, Google’s senior director of Paradigms of Intelligence, the project aims to “scale machine-learning compute in space,” powered directly by the sun.

“Our new research moonshot, Project Suncatcher, envisions compact constellations of solar-powered satellites, carrying Google TPUs and connected by free-space optical links,” Beals wrote..

The idea: turning space into a solar-powered server room

The concept behind Project Suncatcher is both simple and revolutionary: take Google’s ...