SpaceX to Invest Over $74 Billion in AI Supercomputing Campuses
SpaceX has revealed intentions to allocate over $74 billion toward the establishment of two artificial intelligence supercomputing campuses located in Texas and Arizona. In a statement released on Thursday, SpaceX detailed an investment exceeding $24 billion for a supercomputing facility in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and approximately $50 billion for a distinct campus in Cochise County, Arizona. According to the company, the two projects will depend on separate power infrastructures. The Starbase facility in South Texas is set to produce its own electricity independently of the public grid, while the Arizona campus plans to partner with local electric cooperatives, with the potential to expand to 6 gigawatts upon full development.
The Texas development spans roughly 444 acres situated between Boca Chica Boulevard and the Port of Brownsville, in proximity to Brownsville’s landfill. A public hearing notice from Starbase designates Space Exploration Technologies Corp. as both the owner and applicant for the gas-fired power plant and supercomputing facility. The estimate of approximately $24 billion encompasses the initial phases while permitting future expansion. SpaceX reported that the Starbase project has created over 3,000 construction jobs and is anticipated to maintain more than 500 permanent positions, in addition to potentially contributing up to $220 million in private capital for the enhancement of Brownsville’s water and wastewater infrastructure.
The Starbase City Commission is set to deliberate on a property tax abatement and economic development agreement for the project on December 9. In Arizona, the proposed $50 billion campus, pending county regulatory approvals, is expected to generate approximately 5,500 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent positions, employing dry cooling technology without any planned industrial groundwater usage.
