Google puts first space TPUs on Suncatcher prototype craft
The prototype carries four Google TPUs, runs one chip for about 20 minutes per session, and has already produced poetry and orbital reports from space.
Google's Suncatcher prototype satellite went online this week with the first Google Tensor Processing Units (AI chips) ever sent to space.
It launched earlier in October on a SpaceX Falcon 9 with more than 100 other spacecraft; Planet Labs built the satellite.
After about three weeks of testing, engineers prompted a pre-loaded Gemma 4 model to write a haiku about space.
Power limits mean only one of four TPUs runs at a time, for about 20 minutes per session; a spokesperson said it is operating normally.
If the prototype works, Google plans two more satellites in 2027 with higher power and optical links between craft.