Elon Musk Clarifies SpaceX AI Data Centre Deal With Anthropic
SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk has said the company only agreed to lease its Colossus AI training data centre clusters to Anthropic for an initial six-month period, despite earlier reports suggesting a longer arrangement.
Musk made the comments on Thursday in a post on X, where he stated that SpaceX had not committed to leasing the Colossus infrastructure for several years. However, he added that a longer-term agreement remained possible.
Musk Says Lease Was Intended To Be Short-Term
Earlier this year, SpaceX signed agreements allowing Anthropic to use computing capacity from the Colossus and Colossus II data centre clusters in Memphis, Tennessee.
The deals reportedly involved payments of $1.25 billion per month through May 2029. However, Musk clarified that the agreement currently operates as a 180-day lease with a mutual 90-day cancellation notice after that period.
He also said the request for a short-term arrangement came from SpaceX rather than Anthropic.
According to Musk, the company wanted flexibility in case AI computing demand increased significantly in the future.
SpaceX Wants Flexibility Over AI Compute Capacity
In his post, Musk said SpaceX would provide Anthropic with a reasonable transition period if the agreement eventually ends.
However, he added that the company might need to reclaim computing capacity if access to AI infrastructure becomes limited.
The original regulatory filing linked to SpaceX’s IPO stated that both parties could terminate the agreements with 90 days’ notice. However, the filing did not mention the six-month lease structure later described by Musk.
Neither SpaceX nor Anthropic immediately responded to Reuters requests for additional comment outside regular business hours.
SpaceX Expands AI Infrastructure Ambitions
Last week, Musk revealed that SpaceX was discussing partnerships with other companies interested in accessing large-scale AI computing infrastructure.
The comments suggest the company may seek to position itself as a major provider of AI compute services alongside its existing space and satellite operations.
SpaceX filed for its long-anticipated IPO last week, drawing strong market attention to its growing artificial intelligence business.
AI Division Reports Significant Operating Losses
According to the company’s IPO filing, SpaceX’s AI segment recorded an operating loss of approximately $2.5 billion during the March quarter.
The division generated revenue of $818 million during the same period.
The figures highlight the enormous costs associated with building and operating advanced AI infrastructure, even as demand for computing power continues to grow across the artificial intelligence industry.
With inputs from Reuters