Mountain ViewGoogle’s orbital AI test satellite runs on 1 kilowatt.
Google is pitching orbit as an alternative to divisive terrestrial data centers.
Its 4 AI chips shed heat through radiators that allow only about 15 minutes of operation before shutdown.
The team expects years before Suncatcher becomes a product, and the test satellite will operate only months.
The satellite launches October 1 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare.
How each outlet framed it
- Ars Technica
- Identifies cooling as the critical bottleneck for orbital AI, describes Google's thermal interface material and heat pipe solution
Sources: Ars Technica