Google's plan for AI data centers is out of this world

The company believes that the future is in artificial intelligence-powered buildings in space

Google's plans for AI data centers are out of this world.

The company believes that the future of energy houses will be in space

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai wants to send AI data centers into space, but in a good way.The company's ambitious Project Suncatcher aims to replace buildings on the ground that currently leak electricity and water with low-orbit satellites powered entirely by solar energy.

Nothing has started yet: Google unveiled the plan on Tuesday, calling a month that it will not be implemented until the middle of the next decade.Obstacles include:

- Satellite clusters equipped with solar panels would have to be tighter than no now operational satellite constellation, spaced in a kilometer to provide optimal power.But Google's models suggest that satellites only a few hundred meters apart are feasible.

- Solar radiation is great for Superman, but bad for processing units.Google is still testing how much radiation the units can withstand before they fail.

- Is it difficult for high-speed satellites to communicate so they can communicate, Google believes, over time?

A test launch is planned for 2027, although Google expects the project to become more profitable by the mid-2030s.

A new space race?Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos sees orbiting data centers as a cost-effective future.Last week, Spacex CEO Elon Musk said his Starlink satellites may have similar capabilities in the future.- DL

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