SpaceXAI Scouts Texas Sites for Gigawatt-Scale AI Data Center Campus

SpaceXAI is scouting sites in Austin, Bastrop, and Conroe, Texas for a gigawatt-scale AI data center campus that would match or exceed its Memphis Colossus complex, which houses roughly 555,000 Nvidia GPUs across approximately 2 GW of capacity. Job postings for data center development leads and construction roles signal active site selection, though no permits have surfaced yet. Morgan Stanley projects SpaceXAI will burn approximately $120 billion across 2026-2027, driven primarily by infrastructure investment.

SpaceXAI Scouts Texas Sites for Gigawatt-Scale AI Data Center Campus - SpaceXAI is exploring at least one gigawatt-scale data center campus in Texas, scouting sites in Austin, Bastrop, and Conroe 1 https://www.theinformation.com/articles/spacexai-explores-major-data-center-expansion-texas 2 https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/spacexai-eyes-texas-data-center-144517244.html - The facility would match or exceed the company's existing Memphis Colossus complex, which houses roughly 555,000 Nvidia GPUs across approximately 2 GW of capacity 2 https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/spacexai-eyes-texas-data-center-144517244.html 5 https://introl.com/blog/xai-colossus-2-gigawatt-expansion-555k-gpus-january-2026 - Job postings for data center development leads and construction roles in the Texas locations signal active site selection, though no ERCOT filings or permits have surfaced 2 https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/spacexai-eyes-texas-data-center-144517244.html - Morgan Stanley projects SpaceXAI will burn approximately $120 billion across 2026-2027, driven primarily by infrastructure investment 3 https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2026/07/spacexao-explores-texas-and-multiple-sites-for-gigawatts-of-new-ai-data-center.html - SpaceXAI already leases compute capacity to Anthropic and Google from its Memphis facilities, generating recurring revenue alongside its Grok AI products 2 https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/spacexai-eyes-texas-data-center-144517244.html 4 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/06/anthropic-spacex-data-center-capacity.html SpaceXAI is laying the groundwork for at least one new large-scale data center in Texas, targeting roughly 1 gigawatt of compute capacity that would match or exceed the scale of its Memphis Colossus complex, according to a report from The Information published July 22 1 . The company is evaluating multiple potential sites across the state, including areas around Austin, Bastrop, and Conroe 2 https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/spacexai-eyes-texas-data-center-144517244.html . 3 https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2026/07/spacexao-explores-texas-and-multiple-sites-for-gigawatts-of-new-ai-data-center.html The expansion, which has not been officially confirmed by SpaceXAI, follows a pattern of aggressive infrastructure buildout by the merged SpaceX-xAI entity. Job postings for a data center development lead in Austin and Bastrop, as well as temporary construction and operations roles in Conroe, indicate active site selection work is underway 2 . The company is considering both ground-up construction and retrofitting existing warehouses, mirroring the approach it used to stand up the original Colossus data center in Memphis . 2 https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/spacexai-eyes-texas-data-center-144517244.html SpaceXAI currently operates approximately 2 GW of data center capacity in the Memphis, Tennessee area, housing an estimated 555,000 Nvidia GPUs purchased for roughly $18 billion 5 . The company went public on the Nasdaq in June 2026 under the ticker SPCX at $135 per share in what was the largest IPO in history, raising $75 billion . 6 https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2026/06/12/spacex-opens-at-150-surging-17-after-largest-ipo-ever-live-updates/ The Site Search SpaceXAI has not disclosed a specific parcel or site for the Texas campus. According to The Information's report, the company is conducting early-stage evaluations across multiple Texas locations, with job postings pointing to Austin, Bastrop, and Conroe as areas of focus 1 https://www.theinformation.com/articles/spacexai-explores-major-data-center-expansion-texas 2 . Bastrop, located southeast of Austin, is already home to SpaceXAI's Gigasat satellite manufacturing facility — an 11-million-square-foot campus announced in June 2026 for building AI satellites destined for orbital data centers . 7 https://cryptobriefing.com/spacex-xai-gigasat-texas-orbital-data-centers/ The company has not yet decided whether to deploy a single large campus or distribute capacity across multiple facilities, and is weighing greenfield construction against warehouse retrofits 2 . No ERCOT interconnection filings or local permit applications have surfaced publicly as of July 23, 2026. Power & Infrastructure Model SpaceXAI's data center power strategy relies on a hybrid model combining grid electricity with on-site natural gas turbines. At the Memphis Colossus facility, the company deployed dozens of mobile gas turbines and is developing a permanent gas-fired power plant through a joint venture with Solaris Energy, which expects to have over 1.1 GW of fully operating turbines for SpaceXAI by Q2 2027 5 https://introl.com/blog/xai-colossus-2-gigawatt-expansion-555k-gpus-january-2026 8 . Texas presents a different grid environment than Tennessee. ERCOT, the state's independent grid operator, manages a deregulated market that has attracted significant data center load in recent years, particularly around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and San Antonio corridors. A gigawatt-scale load interconnection in central Texas would represent a substantial addition to ERCOT's queue, which is already managing hundreds of pending large-load requests from other hyperscalers and crypto miners. Existing Footprint and Compute Customers SpaceXAI's current data center portfolio is concentrated in the greater Memphis area. Colossus 1 became operational in mid-2024 and now hosts over 220,000 Nvidia GPUs leased to Anthropic under a compute agreement announced in May 2026 4 . The larger Colossus 2 expansion pushed total campus capacity toward 2 GW, and Google has agreed to rent access to 110,000 GPUs at the Southhaven, Mississippi facility from October 2026 through June 2029 at approximately $920 million per month . 5 https://introl.com/blog/xai-colossus-2-gigawatt-expansion-555k-gpus-january-2026 The third-party leasing business has become a significant revenue stream, supplementing SpaceXAI's internal consumption for training and running its Grok AI models. Investment manager Gavin Baker has estimated that SpaceXAI could add 3 GW of new AI data center capacity by end of 2027, potentially generating $150 billion in annualized revenue if fully leased 3 . Capital Requirements The scale of SpaceXAI's infrastructure ambitions carries enormous capital requirements. Morgan Stanley projects the company will burn approximately $120 billion across 2026 and 2027, driven primarily by data center construction and GPU procurement 3 . In Q1 2026 alone, AI-related capital spending reached $7.7 billion, triple the year-ago figure . 3 https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2026/07/spacexao-explores-texas-and-multiple-sites-for-gigawatts-of-new-ai-data-center.html SpaceXAI's June 2026 IPO, which raised $75 billion at a $1.77 trillion valuation, provided a substantial capital injection to fund these plans 6 . Supermicro CEO Charles Liang has stated his company is building 'another brand-new gigawatt-scale AI data center' for SpaceXAI within a year, suggesting the Texas expansion may already have a hardware supplier lined up . 3 https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2026/07/spacexao-explores-texas-and-multiple-sites-for-gigawatts-of-new-ai-data-center.html What to Watch The key near-term indicators for the Texas project will be ERCOT large-load interconnection filings, local zoning or conditional-use permit applications, and any land transactions in the Austin, Bastrop, or Conroe areas. SpaceXAI's choice between a single mega-campus and a distributed multi-site approach will have significant implications for local grid infrastructure and permitting timelines. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has actively courted data center investment with tax incentive programs, and the state legislature passed measures in 2025 aimed at streamlining permitting for large-scale compute facilities. Whether SpaceXAI pursues its own on-site generation — as it did in Memphis — or relies primarily on ERCOT grid power will be a critical factor in project timeline and regulatory complexity. Companies mentioned Further sources 1 The Information: SpaceXAI Explores Major Data Center Expansion in Texas Grace … ↗ https://www.theinformation.com/articles/spacexai-explores-major-data-center-expansion-texas 2 Yahoo Finance: SpaceXAI Eyes Texas Data Center Expansion As It Pushes Into AI C… ↗ https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/spacexai-eyes-texas-data-center-144517244.html 3 NextBigFuture: SpaceXAI Explores Texas and Multiple Sites for Gigawatts of New … ↗ https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2026/07/spacexao-explores-texas-and-multiple-sites-for-gigawatts-of-new-ai-data-center.html 4 CNBC: Anthropic, SpaceX announce compute deal that includes space development ↗ https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/06/anthropic-spacex-data-center-capacity.html 5 Introl Blog: xAI Colossus Hits 2 GW: 555,000 GPUs, $18B, Largest AI Site ↗ https://introl.com/blog/xai-colossus-2-gigawatt-expansion-555k-gpus-january-2026 6 Forbes: SpaceX IPO: SPCX Debuts At $150 ↗ https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2026/06/12/spacex-opens-at-150-surging-17-after-largest-ipo-ever-live-updates/ +2 more The stories that matter, in one email. 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