Google 計畫在 Suncatcher 計畫下首次於太空測試 AI 晶片

9月24日（路透社）— Alphabet 旗下 Google 週四表示，該公司將於下週發射一顆原型衛星，進行 Suncatcher 計畫（Project Suncatcher）的首次在軌測試。這項研究計畫旨在探索太空是否可能容納大規模 AI 運算基礎設施。Sept 24 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google said on Thursday it will launch a prototype satellite next week in its first in-orbit test of Project Suncatcher, a research effort to explore whether space could potentially host large-scale AI computing infrastructure.

包括 SpaceX 與 Starcloud 在內的企業正推動在低地球軌道部署資料中心的計畫，目標是利用近乎不間斷的日照，為耗能龐大的 AI 運算供電，並避開地面電力供應的限制。Companies including SpaceX and Starcloud are pursuing plans to deploy data centers in low Earth orbit, aiming to harness near-continuous sunlight to power energy-intensive AI computing and sidestep terrestrial constraints on electricity supplies.

這項新任務預定搭乘 SpaceX 即將進行的 Transporter-18 共乘發射，並與衛星公司 Planet Labs 合作，將評估 Google 的 AI 硬體如何承受低地球軌道中的發射力道、輻射與極端溫度。The new mission, scheduled to fly on SpaceX's upcoming Transporter-18 rideshare launch in partnership with satellite company Planet Labs, will assess how Google's AI hardware withstands launch forces, radiation and extreme temperatures in LEO.

發射後，這顆搭載 Google 張量處理器（Tensor Processing Units）的原型衛星將被送入低地球軌道，以評估這些 AI 晶片能否在太空中可靠運作。After the launch, it will send a prototype satellite carrying Google Tensor Processing Units into low Earth orbit to assess if the AI chips can operate reliably in space.

太空輻射可能干擾或損害電子設備，包括造成稱為位元翻轉的資料錯誤。Space radiation can disrupt or degrade electronics, including by causing data errors known as bit flips.

Google 表示，該公司曾在加州大學戴維斯分校的一座設施中執行 AI 工作負載時測試其張量處理器，但仍需要進行軌道測試，才能了解這些硬體在真實環境中的表現。Google said it tested its TPUs while running AI workloads in a facility at the University of California, Davis, but that orbital testing was needed to understand how the hardware performs in the real environment.

該公司也將評估其設計：在無法使用傳統氣流冷卻的太空真空環境中，透過結合熱導管與散熱器，為這些耗電量高的晶片降溫。The company will also evaluate its design to cool the power-intensive chips in the vacuum of space, where conventional airflow cooling is impossible, by combining heat pipes with radiators.

但專家表示，考量高昂的發射成本、工程限制與衛星生產瓶頸，這項概念距離商業可行仍需數年時間。But experts have said that the concept remains years from being commercially viable given high launch costs, engineering constraints and satellite production bottlenecks.

Google 表示，首次 Suncatcher 任務的設計目的，是蒐集在軌資料並找出潛在故障點，而非展示一座可運作的軌道資料中心。The first Suncatcher mission is designed to gather in-orbit data and identify potential failure points, rather than demonstrate an operational orbital data center, Google said.

該公司目標是在2027年發射兩顆衛星，以測試連結未來運算叢集所需的高頻寬雷射鏈路。It aims to launch two satellites in 2027 to test the high-bandwidth laser links needed to connect future computing clusters.

（班加羅爾 Akash Sriram 報導；Pooja Desai 編輯）(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)