Google's space data center prototype satellite completes first in-orbit AI inference

October 31 — Google CEO Sundar Pichai posted on X that Google's Project Suncatcher has reached a "hello world" milestone: weeks after the prototype satellite was launched, the team successfully sent commands to orbit, booted the TPU aboard the satellite and ran a prompt, and the ground subsequently received the first complete reply, which was a haiku. Project Suncatcher aims to deploy solar-powered satellites carrying TPUs into space, exploring the use of solar energy to power AI computing. The prototype satellite entered orbit in early October aboard a SpaceX launch mission.