Google’s Suncatcher satellite is online and running Gemma 4
Original title: Google’s first data center satellite is online and writing poetry
The prototype carries one TPU, generates up to 1 kW, and can power the chip for about twenty minutes.
Google’s Suncatcher prototype space data center is communicating with the ground after launching this month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 with more than 100 other spacecraft. After about three weeks of commissioning, engineers prompted a preloaded Gemma 4 model to write a haiku and report orbital conditions. A spokesperson said the satellite was operating nominally. Tests will study heat and radiation, including bit flips; two higher-power satellites with optical links are planned for 2027.
Unconfirmed: Nominal operation is according to a Google spokesperson.
- Ground tests suggested radiation is a larger problem for training than inference.
- The 2027 pair is meant to show inter-satellite optical links and more power.
- Alphabet holds a significant investment stake in SpaceX.
- A Suncatcher analysis estimated Starship would need 1,800 flights for earlier cost cuts.
- Alphabet stock fell this week after AI in search was tied to slower ad growth.
- Products
- SuncatcherTPU
- Organizations
- AlphabetGoogle DeepMind
- AI models
- Gemma 4
From the original article
3 min read at techcrunch.com
The first TPU in space is a running a Google DeepMind Gemma 4 model and writing cheesy poetry.
By Tim Fernholz · techcrunch.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.