Google Plans to Send AI Data Center to Space, Experimental Satellite MVP Launches Next Month

Google plans to send an experimental satellite called MVP into Earth's orbit on October 1. The satellite has enough computing power to handle and answer simple AI queries directly in space. This is part of Google's Project Suncatcher, which aims to deploy AI data centers in space and power them with solar energy.

MVP will launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Santa Barbara, California, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite carries 4 TPU units designed for computing, with total power roughly equal to one server in a data center. Its solar panels can only generate about 1kW of electricity, roughly the power needed to run a hair dryer, which is enough to test whether the hardware can survive the harsh space environment.

Ground data centers face growing opposition and physical limitations, making space-based computing more attractive. But challenges remain, including how equipment can withstand space radiation and the high cost of launching machines out of the atmosphere. MVP will handle simple AI queries for a year and is expected to orbit Earth for up to 6 years, then gradually descend and burn up in the atmosphere.