Google is set to send four of its Tensor Processing Units into orbit aboard a SpaceX rocket. The prototype is part of Project Suncatcher, an experiment in space-based computing.

According to reports, the hardware will fly on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission, planned for 1 October. The prototype will test whether the chips can survive the harsh conditions of space.

The experiment is a hardware-survival test, not a working data centre. Google wants to learn how its AI chips perform under extreme radiation and temperature swings.

If successful, the test could inform future plans for computing infrastructure beyond Earth. Space-based data centres remain a long-term concept, but the trial is a first step.

SpaceX’s rideshare missions regularly carry small satellites and experiments to orbit. For now, Google’s focus is on proving the hardware can survive, and it has not said whether it might scale up. Results from the test are expected after the flight.