SpaceX Commits $2.8 Billion to Gas Turbines for AI Data Centers
Original: SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
Why This Matters
Shows major AI infrastructure investment amid regulatory scrutiny over emissions
SpaceX revealed in regulatory filing it spent $2.8 billion on gas turbines to power AI data centers for xAI unit, despite facing complaints and lawsuits over carbon emissions and environmental permit violations.
SpaceX disclosed in its IPO prospectus that it committed over $2.8 billion to purchase gas turbines for powering its AI data centers. The investment includes $805 million agreed in March for turbines through 2029, and a pending $2 billion deal struck in April for mobile gas turbines. The company operates Colossus 1 and 2 data centers in Tennessee and Mississippi to support xAI's Grok chatbot, with 1 gigawatt power capacity serving a large city's worth of electricity. SpaceX leases server access to Anthropic for $15 billion annually. The expansion comes despite NAACP lawsuits alleging the company operates 27 gas turbines without proper permits, raising public health and climate concerns. Portable turbines can operate without clean air permits for one year, which SpaceX has utilized.