A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Google's custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) on Thursday as part of the Transporter-18 mission. A Planet Labs-designed satellite will provide the platform for the chips' first in-orbit test, part of Google's Project Suncatcher initiative to explore space-based data centers.
The test will assess how the TPUs withstand radiation and extreme temperatures in space. The prototype is an early step toward Google's longer-term vision of running large-scale AI and machine-learning workloads in orbit, powered by near-constant sunlight.