Google Launches First Project Suncatcher AI Satellite to Test Trillium TPUs in Orbit
Summary
Google launches Project Suncatcher’s first prototype satellite on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission to test Trillium AI chips in low Earth orbit, ahead of a 2027 two-satellite laser-link demonstration for orbital TPU clusters.
Key Points
- Google launches Project Suncatcher’s first prototype satellite on SpaceX’s upcoming Transporter-18 rideshare mission to test Trillium TPU performance in low Earth orbit.
- Radiation tests at UC Davis’s Crocker Nuclear Laboratory show Trillium TPUs withstand a total ionizing dose greater than a five-year space mission while running AI workloads.
- Google plans a 2027 mission that puts two satellites in orbit to test high-bandwidth, short-range laser links, a prerequisite for clusters carrying dozens of TPUs each.