Google plans to put its AI data center in space

Engineers at the US tech giant want to harness solar energy and take advantage of the falling costs of launching rockets.

Google says putting AI processors into space will reduce pressure on Earth's resources - Photo: BLOOMBERG

According to the Guardian newspaper on November 4, Google Corporation is planning to put an artificial intelligence (AI) data center into space, with the first test devices to be launched into orbit in early 2027.

Google scientists and engineers believe that 80 solar-powered satellites could be arranged in clusters in orbit about 400 miles (643km) above Earth.

These satellites are equipped with Google's dedicated TPU processors, optimized for training and running AI models.

A Google study published on November 4 shows that the cost of launching satellites is decreasing. It is expected that by the mid-2030s, the cost of operating a space data center could be equivalent to one located on Earth.

Additionally, using satellites also minimizes the impact on land and water resources required to cool data centers.

Once in orbit, the Suncatcher project's data centers will be powered by solar panels eight times more efficient than those installed on Earth.

Data will be sent back to the ground via optical links - using light or lasers to transmit information.

“In the future, space could be the ideal place to scale AI computing,” Google said, emphasizing the orbital data center model’s flexibility and reduced environmental impact.

However, Google also admits that there are still many technical challenges, such as temperature control, maintaining large transmission bandwidth and ensuring the reliability of the system in orbit.

Besides, launching a single rocket into space also emits hundreds of tons of _CO2 .

Astronomers also worry that the proliferation of low-Earth satellites will be “like bugs on a windshield,” hindering space observation activities.

Elon Musk and Nvidia also aim to bring AI beyond Earth

Not only Google, many other technology corporations are also stepping up investment in this model. Last week, billionaire Elon Musk said SpaceX and Starlink are researching the construction of data centers in space.

Nvidia is also about to launch the first AI chips into orbit in a partnership with startup Starcloud.

“In space, you have virtually unlimited renewable energy at extremely low cost,” said Philip Johnston, co-founder of Starcloud.

“The environmental impact is just at the launch stage, but over its lifetime, CO₂ emissions will be 10 times lower than in a data center on Earth,” he added.

Google plans to launch two prototype satellites in 2027, calling it “the first milestone toward large-scale, space-based AI.”

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/google-tinh-dua-trung-tam-du-lieu-ai-ra-khong-gian-20251105111345128.htm