Google tests its first orbital data centre with AI-generated haiku
Google’s first data centre satellite is online and has received its first prompts, marking an early test of the company’s plan to run AI workloads in orbit. The prototype’s performance could help determine whether networks of satellites can support large-scale computing, though the project remains at an early stage.
Launched earlier this month, the satellite carries one Google Tensor Processing Unit and can generate up to 1 kW of electricity, limiting it to about 20 minutes of operation at a time. It ran Google DeepMind’s Gemma 4 model to write a haiku and report orbital conditions; further tests will assess heat and radiation effects on the chip. Google says the next step, if the hardware proves capable, is to launch two more satellites in 2027 to test greater power generation and optical links between spacecraft.
In short
- Google’s first AI data centre satellite is operational.
- Its single TPU can run for about 20 minutes at a time.
- Two more satellites may launch in 2027.
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The case for
Testing computing in orbit could show whether satellites can use solar power and direct optical links to support future AI workloads, potentially expanding computing capacity and reducing reliance on some ground infrastructure. A limited prototype is a measured way to learn about power, heat and radiation before committing to a larger network.
The case against
The test is very small, with one chip and only about 20 minutes of operation at a time, so it offers little evidence yet that orbital data centres can handle large-scale workloads. Building, launching and maintaining a satellite network could consume substantial resources, while the technical and practical benefits over ground-based computing remain unproven.
Explained simply
Data centres are facilities that house powerful computers used to store information and run online services, including artificial intelligence. Those computers need electricity and cooling, and their equipment can be affected by heat and radiation.
Google is a technology company that makes AI models, including Gemma, which can generate text in response to prompts. Its Tensor Processing Units are chips designed to handle AI calculations. Testing them in orbit could show whether satellites can do some computing beyond Earth, but the trial is small and longer-term plans depend on how the equipment performs.
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Originally published by TechCrunch as “Google’s first data center satellite is online and writing poetry”.