Google will launch a prototype satellite carrying its Tensor Processing Units next week as part of Project Suncatcher, a research effort into running AI computing clusters in space. The satellite, launching with Planet Labs aboard a SpaceX Transporter-18 mission, will test how the chips withstand launch forces, radiation and temperature extremes, along with a heat-pipe cooling system suited for vacuum conditions.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-25
Google plans to launch a small experimental satellite called MVP next month aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The craft carries four of Google's TPU chips and solar panels producing about one kilowatt of power, and is meant to test whether AI processors can withstand radiation and heat exposure in orbit. Earlier ground tests exposed the chips to simulated years of space radiation, finding that restarts usually fixed resulting data errors.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-25
Oracle sent a force majeure notice to lender Blue Owl Capital over a $18 billion hyperscale data center in New Mexico that is part of Trump's Stargate AI initiative, according to Bloomberg. The move shields Oracle from liability tied to missing certain development permits, as the facility, meant to run on 2.45 gigawatts of power, faces delays after Oracle scrapped a planned natural gas plant and pivoted to unproven solid oxide fuel cell technology.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-25
Google plans to launch an experimental satellite called MVP on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base next week, part of its Project Suncatcher initiative. The satellite carries four Tensor Processing Units powered by solar panels generating one kilowatt, roughly matching a single Earth-based server, and is designed to process simple AI requests for up to a year while orbiting for as long as six years before burning up on re-entry.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-25
Oracle issued a force majeure notice to the developer of its Project Jupiter data-center site in New Mexico, according to reporting on the project. The company has also dropped one key development partner amid the buildout, while local residents have pushed back against the project.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-25
Lawyers suing Meta over alleged harm to teens' mental health say a newly unsealed document shows the Instagram Teen Accounts team, internally called Project Nido, ordered baseball caps reading 'a/c priv' in 2024. The plaintiffs cite this as evidence that Meta has broadly and improperly invoked attorney-client privilege to shield internal research on teen harm from disclosure. A federal judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, has already ruled some of Meta's privilege claims 'entirely inappropriate' in a prior order.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-24
Oracle sent a force majeure notice to the developer of Project Jupiter, a Stargate data center campus in New Mexico, according to Bloomberg. The notice would let Oracle delay payments if the facility fails to meet its 2028 launch target, though the company says it isn't trying to exit as the site's main tenant. Both Oracle and Blue Owl Capital, whose unit received the notice, say the project's financial commitments remain unchanged and construction is on schedule.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-24
Google plans to launch a satellite called MVP on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on October 1, carrying four tensor processing units powered by roughly one kilowatt of solar energy. The satellite will process simple AI queries for a year as part of Project Suncatcher, an early-stage effort to test whether AI computing hardware can withstand orbital conditions, and will remain in orbit for six years before burning up on reentry.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-24
Google will launch its first Project Suncatcher test satellite, called MVP, on October 1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission. The refrigerator-sized craft carries four of Google's custom TPU AI chips and roughly one kilowatt of solar power, and it uses a spacecraft body built by satellite imagery firm Planet Labs rather than a custom-built Google design. The test mission will run for only a few months.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-24
A proposed class action filed September 16, 2026 alleges OpenAI ran an undisclosed program called 'Project Lily' in which outside contractors read, summarized and graded real ChatGPT conversations without disclosing this in its terms or privacy policy. The suit covers U.S. ChatGPT Plus users, with California and paid-subscriber subclasses, and excludes Enterprise, Business, Team, Edu and API customers. OpenAI was served September 21 and its response is due October 13, 2026; no class has been certified and there is nothing to claim yet.
openclassactions.com
· 2026-09-24
Google plans to launch a fridge-sized prototype satellite carrying roughly the computing power of one server, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as soon as October 1. The satellite is part of Project Suncatcher, an effort to test whether AI data center hardware can operate in orbit powered by continuous sunlight, and could remain in space for up to six years.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-24
Google will launch a prototype satellite to test how its Tensor Processing Units perform in orbit, part of Project Suncatcher, a research effort first announced last year. The initiative explores whether satellites in low Earth orbit, which can access near-constant sunlight and generate far more solar power than on Earth, could eventually host machine learning infrastructure.
blog.google
· 2026-09-24