SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
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SpaceX斥资28亿美元购买燃气轮机用于其AI数据中心 | WIRED
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May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
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 more robust sources of energy come online.
Featured Video
Hardware Architect Answers Microchip Questions
In addition to launching rockets and selling satellite internet, SpaceX also owns Musk’s xAI unit, which develops Grok. To support the chatbot and other AI efforts, xAI operates a pair of data centers known as Colossus 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi. SpaceX is leasing access to some of the servers at the Colossus data centers for $15 billion annually to Anthropic, the AI startup that develops the Claude chatbot. Musk said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to sign additional deals.
| Got a Tip? | | --- | | Are you a current or former SpaceX employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24. |
The new details about SpaceX’s energy spending are part of a wave of disclosures in the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering, a lengthy document that is designed to help potential investors understand the company’s financial health and long-term risks. SpaceX is aiming to debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the coming weeks.
In March, SpaceX agreed to buy $805 million worth of turbines from an unnamed company through 2029, according to the IPO filing. Then, in late April, Musk’s company struck a deal for $2 billion worth of mobile gas turbines and related items from an unnamed vendor. That deal is still pending.
Last week, WIRED reported that 19 new portable turbines had been added to Colossus 2 over the past two months, for a total of 46 units. State regulators have said portable turbines can be operated without a clean air permit for a year, a rule that SpaceX has used in its favor. Some of the turbines were added after the NAACP and other advocacy groups sued xAI, alleging that the company had been operating 27 gas turbines without appropriate permits, posing a risk to public health and the climate.
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Paresh Dave
Business
May 20, 2026 7:30 PM
SpaceX Is Spending $2.8 Billion to Buy Gas Turbines for Its AI Data Centers
The investment comes as Elon Musk’s AI unit faces complaints about the carbon-emitting units and looks to become a big player in cloud computing.
Image 2: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at...
Photograph: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
1 Save this story
1 Save this story
Elon Musk’s SpaceX committed to spending over $2.8 billion in recent months to buy [gas turbines](https://www.wired.com/story/xai-adds-19-new-gas-turbines-despite-ongoing-laws
截至3月，SpaceX在两个数据中心之间拥有足够的服务器，可以使用大约1吉瓦的电力，这大约相当于美国一个大型城市使用的电量。但该公司预计将继续增长，这将增加其电力需求。根据周三的文件，SpaceX在建工程超过140亿美元，包括尚未投入运营的数据中心设备的价值。
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