SpaceX aims to build 10 gigawatts of AI computing capacity by next year as Musk advances into artificial intelligence #
Elon Musk has made a striking prediction about the future of SpaceX. The billionaire says artificial intelligence could account for 99% of the company's value within four or five years.
But there is a much sooner test of that vision. Musk told SpaceX employees this week that AI revenue could overtake every other part of the business by September. He also said AI would significantly exceed the company's other revenue streams in the fourth quarter. For a company built around rockets, satellites, and space exploration, the prediction signals a dramatic change in direction.
AI Revenue Is Already Growing #
SpaceX's latest financial figures provide some context. The company reported $7.81B in revenue for the second quarter. AI generated $2.56B, while connectivity brought in $4.29B and space products generated $962M. That puts revenue from businesses outside AI at about $5.25B.
For AI to become the company's largest revenue source, it therefore needs to more than double from its second-quarter figure if the other businesses remain at similar levels. Musk has set September as the target. The prediction is significant because it comes with a clear deadline. SpaceX should soon be able to show whether AI can deliver the growth Musk expects.
A Company Changing Its Identity #
SpaceX has traditionally been associated with reusable rockets and satellite communications through Starlink. Artificial intelligence is now becoming a much larger part of the company's ambitions. SpaceX acquired xAI before its June listing, bringing Musk's AI business into the wider company. The move combined an aerospace business with an artificial intelligence operation and created a much broader technology group.
The scale of the ambition is considerable. Musk has said SpaceX wants to build 10 gigawatts of AI computing capacity by the end of next year. He has also suggested that such infrastructure could eventually generate hundreds of billions of dollars in annual revenue. Those figures remain forecasts rather than established results.
The Value Could Shift Towards AI #
Musk's longer-term prediction goes considerably further than the September target. He says AI could eventually represent 99% of SpaceX's value. That would mean rockets and satellites, despite remaining important to the company's operations, would account for only a small part of what investors believe the business is worth.
Such a transformation would also change how SpaceX is viewed. Instead of being primarily an aerospace company with a growing technology division, it could become an AI company whose space infrastructure provides an important part of its competitive advantage. The company is already pursuing large investments in computing infrastructure. Musk has also discussed placing AI computing systems in orbit.
The concept could offer access to solar power and reduce some of the constraints associated with terrestrial data centres. But large technical and economic challenges remain before space-based computing can operate at the scale Musk has described.
SpaceX Employees Could Help Train AI #
Musk has also spoken about using SpaceX's internal information to train Grok. During the company meeting, he told employees that AI would be trained on the totality of SpaceX information. He described the system as being trained on the people who work at the company. Musk presented the idea as a way to transfer the knowledge and thinking of SpaceX employees into its AI systems.
The comments raise practical questions about exactly what information would be used. SpaceX has not publicly detailed the specific employee information that could become part of the training process. It has also not publicly explained how such information would be collected or what controls employees would have over its use. Without those details, it is difficult to assess the full implications of the proposal.
Grok Faces Its Own Test #
The AI strategy also depends heavily on Grok. Musk's company is competing with established AI businesses as it attempts to expand the use of AI agents and computing services. Grok has attracted significant attention, but the technology market remains highly competitive. OpenAI, Anthropic and other companies continue to invest heavily in increasingly capable AI models and infrastructure.
That means SpaceX must turn its investment in computing capacity and AI development into products that customers are willing to pay for. Revenue growth will ultimately provide a clearer measure of whether the strategy is working.
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