Google's First Space Data Center Satellite Launched, Equipped with TPU for Inference Testing

Techub News reports that Google's Suncatcher prototype space data center satellite has been launched and established communication with the ground. The satellite was launched into orbit by SpaceX Falcon 9 and is equipped with a Google TPU, generating up to 1 kilowatt; due to power consumption constraints, it can only operate for about 20 minutes at a time. Google stated that the ground has already enabled the satellite's pre-installed Gemma 4 model to generate haiku and report on the orbital environment; subsequent plans include launching two more satellites to support higher power generation and inter-satellite optical links. (TechCrunch)