Google’s “Moonshot”: A World Without Terrestrial Datacenters?

Google is “working backward” from a radical vision for the future, one where the “best place to scale AI computers” is not on Earth at all. This “moonshot” research, Project Suncatcher, imagines a world where the massive, power-guzzling datacenter is an orbital, not a terrestrial, object.
The company’s new research outlines a plan for constellations of solar-powered satellites, equipped with AI chips (TPUs) and linked by lasers. This approach, Google says, “would have tremendous potential for scale,” far beyond what is sustainably possible on Earth.
The push factor is the $3 trillion datacentre boom on Earth, which is causing “rising concern” about carbon emissions and resource consumption. The pull factor is the “unlimited” and “low-cost” solar energy in space, which is 8-times more productive. By the mid-2030s, Google believes the costs could even be comparable.
This vision is shared by competitors. Elon Musk and an Nvidia-backed startup are also scaling up to create datacenters in space. The entire industry is beginning to see the limitations of Earth and the potential of orbit as a long-term solution.
Of course, Google’s “cautionary note” reminds us this future is not yet certain. “Significant engineering challenges” in cooling, communication, and reliability must be solved first. But the 2027 prototypes will be the first step toward making this “moonshot” a reality.