The company is exploring a plan to deploy data centers in orbit, a move that could reshape how computing infrastructure is built and powered.
Google is developing an early concept involving satellites equipped with specialized AI processors.
The proposed orbital data centers would use solar energy continuously, avoiding the day-and-night limits faced by facilities on Earth.
The project remains experimental, with major challenges involving launch costs, maintenance, communications and managing heat in space.
Google is working with Planet, a satellite-imaging company, and plans to test the concept through a demonstration mission involving two prototype satellites.
The effort reflects growing interest among technology companies in space-based computing as demand for AI services drives a surge in electricity consumption and data-center construction.
Google has not committed to a commercial launch schedule, and the idea is still far from deployment at scale. However, advances in reusable rockets and falling satellite costs are making orbital infrastructure more plausible than it was a decade ago.