Suncatcher (orbital data center project)

2025: Project Launch

On November 4, 2025, Google announced the Suncatcher project, which involves the formation of a network of special computing satellites to solve problems in the field of artificial intelligence. Such devices will become the basis of orbital data centers (data centers).

The idea is to use solar energy to perform resource-intensive AI operations. It is argued that when choosing a certain orbit, the solar panel in space is able to provide 8 times higher performance than on Earth. In this case, energy can be generated almost continuously.

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Фото: Freepik

On board the satellites will be equipment with Google tensor processors (TPU), responsible for performing computational AI tasks. To maintain interaction between numerous nodes of orbital data centers, it is planned to use high-speed optical communication channels that provide a throughput of tens of terabits per second. At the same time, for the efficient operation of high-speed inter-satellite connections, spacecraft are planned to be combined into high-density groups.

An example is a swarm of 81 satellites that form a cluster with a radius of about 1 km. These devices will be located at a distance of about 100-200 meters from each other. To maintain the necessary position of satellites in this configuration, only minor maneuvers will be required.

Google notes that historically high launch costs have been a major obstacle to the deployment of large-scale space systems. It is expected that by the mid-2030s the cost of elimination will decrease to less than $200 per 1 kg. As a result, the creation and operation of space data centers in financial terms will become comparable to ground objects of a similar class.^[1]

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