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Google's Suncatcher satellite tests TPUs in orbit
Original: A space data center can't use air or water: heat must radiate away. Google's first Suncatcher satellite runs its four TP
Google's Project Suncatcher has put its first satellite into orbit carrying four TPU chips as an early test of computing in space. The prototype runs its TPUs for about 15 minutes at a time before needing to cool down, because a spacecraft has no air or water for cooling and must shed heat by radiation alone. Engineers point to this as a key constraint for future orbital data centers, which supporters hope could one day run at scale using solar power in orbit.
Why now: The satellite's duty-cycle limitation highlights the hard thermal engineering problems facing the emerging idea of data centers in space.
Evidence
- A space data center can't use air or water: heat must radiate away. Google's first Suncatcher satellite runs its four TPUs about 15 minutes, then cools down. # google # tpu # space # android # software # coding # development # engineering # inclusive # community Space data… · hackaday@www.urbanmind.net · 3
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