Google prepares to send AI chips into space aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

Google is preparing to send its AI chips into space for the first orbital test of Project Suncatcher. A prototype satellite carrying Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) is scheduled to launch aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission on October 1, with the 58-minute launch window opening at 11:18 a.m. PT from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The test will study how the hardware performs under the radiation, extreme temperatures and physical stresses of space, while also testing approaches to cooling AI hardware in orbit. Video Credit: Google / SpaceX / GettyImages