Google · SpaceX · Starlink · The Register
Google ships first datacenter satellite and research that flags orbiting bit barns can work
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If SpaceX can launch 1,800 Starships, and researchers nail gnarly networking, design and formation flying problems,.
Key facts
- If launch costs reach ≲$200/kg, annualized cost per unit of power in space could be approximately comparable to terrestrial spend,” is Google’s conclusion
- The paper, titled “Toward a future space-based, highly scalable AI infrastructure system design,” notes that SpaceX and others have suggested that orbital datacenters become viable when launch costs
- If SpaceX can launch 1,800 Starships, and researchers nail gnarly networking, design and formation flying problems
- As The Register reported last week, Project Suncatcher aims to test whether Google’s tensor processing units (TPUs) can survive a launch and the harsh environment of space
Summary
Google’s first “Suncatcher” datacenter satellite has made it into space, but the company has cast doubt on whether its orbital ambitions can scale. As The Register reported last week, Project Suncatcher aims to test whether Google’s tensor processing units (TPUs) can survive a launch and the harsh environment of space. In its announcement of a successful Suncatcher launch, Google linked to its own peer-reviewed researc h about the endeavor, which outlines many thorny challenges that must be met to make orbital datacenters fly. The paper, titled “Toward a future space-based, highly scalable AI infrastructure system design,” notes that SpaceX and others have suggested that orbital datacenters become viable when launch costs fall to $200/kg.