DATA CENTRES
Google is sending a data centre into space. Kind of.
On October 1st, Google begins their mission to put data centers in space.
Project Suncatcher has been in the works for roughly three years, and in less than a week the team will launch a refrigerator-sized satellite into orbit. The craft (aptly nicknamed MVP) will carry four specialized AI chips with the power of one data server. Plus, the satellite is fitted with solar panels to channel sunlight for its onboard computing.
Suncatcher specs:
MVP holds four "tensor processing units" which harness the power of one data center server and can run on about one kilowatt of solar energy.
Since fans don’t work in space, Google’s engineers designed a layered cooling system to dissipate heat.
The setup is built to handle basic Gemini queries for about a year, before eventually burning up in the atmosphere.
Don't get too excited
This first launch is simply a proof-of-concept. Just as Google took ~15 years to develop autonomous cars, the journey to putting data centers in space is sure to be a slow burn.
Google has spent the last year testing whether its chips could hold up outside Earth's atmosphere, blasting them with radiation and shaking them to simulate lift-off. If this phase proves successful, the team is planning a network of satellites that would operate as one massive supercomputer.
One small step for MVP. One giant leap for server farms.
The cloud just got literal. - TL