SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers

Elon Musk’s SpaceX committed to spending over $2.8 billion in recent months to buy gas turbines to power data centers for its artificial intelligence unit, the company revealed in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.

SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers. Elon Musk’s SpaceX committed to spending over $2.8 billion in recent months to buy gas turbines to power data centers for its artificial intelligence unit, the company revealed in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. The relatively large investment shows that Musk is continuing to double down on gas turbines, even after SpaceX’s use of them prompted public complaints, a lawsuit, and regulatory inquiries into whether the company may be polluting the air with carbon emissions and dodging environmental requirements. A shortage of electricity is the leading constraint on an otherwise roaring data center boom happening across the US. Portable gas turbines—generators that can run without drawing power from the grid—have been viewed as quick and temporary solutions until m...