Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Google has announced plans to build the world’s first space-based data centers by early 2027, a bold initiative aimed at supporting the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The project, dubbed Project Suncatcher, envisions a constellation of solar-powered satellites orbiting Earth to host high-performance computing systems.
The U.S. tech giant said the effort is designed to harness solar energy and reduce rocket launch costs, with initial test equipment expected to be deployed into orbit in the near future. According to Google scientists and engineers, about 80 satellites equipped with powerful processors could be positioned roughly 400 miles above Earth to meet the surging global demand for AI processing power.
A Google research paper released Tuesday (Nov. 4) and cited by The Guardian said the falling cost of space launches could make operating orbital data centers as cost-effective as those on Earth by the mid-2030s.
Beyond cost, space-based data centers could also ease environmental pressures. Traditional data centers consume vast amounts of water and land for cooling, while satellites in orbit could significantly reduce resource use. The proposed solar panels in orbit are expected to generate up to eight times more energy than panels on Earth. However, launching rockets still produces hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide emissions per flight.
Astronomers have expressed concerns about the growing number of low-Earth orbit satellites, warning they could interfere with astronomical observations.
Under Project Suncatcher, data processed in orbit would be transmitted back to Earth via optical links — beams of light or laser signals capable of transferring large volumes of information at high speed.
The move comes as major tech firms intensify their race to expand AI infrastructure, acquiring land-based data centers from Lincolnshire to Brazil, and from India to Texas. The massive investment surge has also raised concerns about the carbon footprint of AI computing if not powered by clean energy.
“In the future, space may become the optimal environment for developing AI computing,” Google said in its report. With Project Suncatcher, Google envision a compact constellation of solar-powered satellites equipped with Google TPUs and interconnected through free-space optical links, a scalable approach that minimizes the strain on Earth’s resources.
Google plans to launch two prototype satellites in early 2027, calling the project’s findings “the first milestone toward scalable, space-based AI.”
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The company’s vision follows similar ambitions from other tech leaders. Elon Musk, head of SpaceX and satellite internet provider Starlink, recently announced plans to expand his operations to include space-based data centers. Nvidia also plans to send AI chips into orbit later this month in collaboration with startup Starcloud.
“In space, you have access to virtually unlimited and cheap renewable energy,” said Philip Johnston, Starcloud’s co-founder. “The environmental cost occurs only during launch, but over the lifetime of a data center in orbit, carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by up to tenfold compared to operations on Earth.”
(Raidi/Agung)
