Google’s ‘moonshot’ project would put AI data – Business News
Google is exploring a “moonshot” plan to construct artificial intelligence data facilities in space – the most recent transfer in its ongoing scramble to keep tempo with OpenAI and different rivals.
Dubbed “Project Suncatcher,” the still-experimental plan would goal to create a sequence of “solar-powered satellites” outfitted with Google’s AI laptop chips that would “harness the full power of the sun,” in response to a little-noticed Nov. 4 weblog post from the tech giant.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai admitted the company faces “significant challenges” to make it a actuality, together with “thermal management” of its chips and “on-orbit system reliability.”
Google says Project Suncatcher may turn out to be economically possible by the mid-2030s. AFP by way of Getty Images
“Like any moonshot, it’s going to require us to solve a lot of complex engineering challenges,” Pichai wrote on X. “Early research shows our Trillium-generation TPUs (our tensor processing units, purpose-built for AI) survived without damage when tested in a particle accelerator to simulate low-earth orbit levels of radiation.”
The company plans to launch two check satellites in 2027 to conduct more analysis on the project’s feasibility.
Huge quantities of power are required to take care of present AI fashions and fuel the development of theoretical “artificial general intelligence” – or AI with human-level or higher capabilities.
The exorbitant necessities have led to ballooning prices for prime corporations like Google, Meta and OpenAI, which have spooked some buyers on Wall Street and contributed to fears that the much-hyped AI revolution is truly a “bubble” that may finally burst.
Google alone has outlined $91 to $93 billion in capital expenditures in fiscal 2025 because it pours money into AI development. Industrywide spending on data facilities is anticipated to prime a jaw-dropping $3 trillion over the following three years, in response to Morgan Stanley.
Google pointed to the “rapid increase in data center energy demand” because the catalyst behind “Project Suncatcher.”
Google expects to spend up to $93 billion in fiscal 2025 because it ramps up AI development. AP
Google CEO Sundar Pichai admitted there have been a number of challenges to beat. REUTERS
“While there are a number of challenges that would need to be addressed to realize this ‘moonshot,’ in the long run it may be the most scalable solution, with the additional benefit of minimizing the impact on terrestrial resources such as land and water,” Google researchers mentioned in a white paper.
Based on present projections, satellite tv for pc launches could also be reasonably priced enough to make Google’s plans for space-based AI data facilities economically viable by the mid-2030s.
Earlier this month, Elon Musk mentioned SpaceX “will be doing” data facilities by “scaling up” its Starlink satellites, although he didn’t present a timeline.
