Google has recently launched its first test computer chips, Tensor Processing Units, to see how they withstand spaceflight vibration, radiation and extreme temperatures, working with satellite firm Planet. Other players include Starcloud, K2 Space, Blue Origin, Axiom Space and Cowboy Space, and Nvidia has a chip design built for orbital stress. SpaceX, which controls its own rockets and satellite manufacturing, plans to launch thousands of data centers a year using up to 100 gigawatts of power, and Musk says launches could start in 2027 with a network of up to 1 million orbital data centers. The article lists major challenges, including radiating heat through large metal panels in a vacuum, linking data centers with high-bandwidth lasers, and replacing chips about every 5 years. Google says its plans depend on sharply lower launch costs, possibly by 2035, and the article describes the business model as brutal compared with land-based data centers.
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