Artificial intelligence chips are normally designed for environments very different from space.
Inside terrestrial data centers, servers operate in controlled buildings with carefully managed temperatures, power supplies and cooling systems.
Google now wants to discover what happens when its AI processors are exposed to orbit.
Project Suncatcher’s first prototype will carry four TPUs into low Earth orbit.
One of the biggest risks is radiation. High-energy particles can interfere with electronics and potentially cause errors in computing operations.
Google has already tested its TPUs using proton-beam experiments and says initial results showed promising radiation tolerance.
Launch conditions are another challenge. A rocket generates substantial vibration and acceleration during liftoff, so engineers must verify that the satellite can withstand those forces.
The orbital mission provides the ultimate test. If the processors operate successfully, Google will gain valuable evidence for future designs. If problems appear, engineers can use the results to redesign hardware and protection systems.
Project Suncatcher is therefore not simply a demonstration of Google’s AI capabilities. It is an attempt to discover whether conventional high-performance AI computing technology can be adapted to one of the harshest environments available.
Source: Google Research
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