Google has unveiled a research program, “Project Suncatcher,” that explores moving AI compute from Earth to space by placing server hardware on solar-powered satellites. Naturally, there are numerous engineering challenges to solve before Project Suncatcher is real. The project, unveiled in a blog post and. Bengaluru-based Pixxel and Sarvam have set out plans to build Pathfinder, a 200 kg-class orbital data centre satellite that would test whether artificial intelligence workloads can be processed directly in space rather than routed first through terrestrial cloud systems. Yes, real compute satellites orbiting Earth, running AI models powered by uninterrupted solar energy.