Elon Musk unveiled a more detailed look at an early version of an AI data-center satellite that SpaceX plans to build, offering new insight into one of the most ambitious projects underpinning the company's expected record initial public offering.
Musk Details SpaceX's AI Satellite Plan
In a roughly 30-minute video shared on X, Musk laid out SpaceX's broader plans, including continued development of the Starship rocket, a massive expansion of satellite manufacturing in Texas and a joint Terafab facility with Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) aimed at producing computer chips in the United States.
Musk showed a rendering and specifications for what SpaceX calls its AI-1 satellite, the first version of a spacecraft the company plans to use in a future network of about 1 million orbital satellites designed to run complex artificial intelligence computing.
The early satellite would use solar panels spanning about 70 meters and support an average compute payload of 120 kilowatts, rising to 150 kilowatts at peak power. SpaceX will begin by using Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) chips in the AI satellites, Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen said in a separate interview.
Starlink Experience Gives SpaceX Head Start
Musk said SpaceX's experience building Starlink gives it a head start. He argued that AI satellites would be simpler than Starlink satellites because they would not need the same complex communications antennas.
"An AI satellite is essentially a lot of solar cells, a radiator, and you still need some laser links, but you don't have all of the super complex antennas that you have on a Starlink satellite," Musk said. "Given the two, the easier one to design for is the AI satellite."
Musk also showed plans for Gigasat, a major expansion of SpaceX's Bastrop, Texas, site. The facility would span more than 11 million square feet across more than 405 hectares and manufacture large solar panels for the satellites.
IPO Filing Highlights Power Bottlenecks
The planned Terafab would be even larger. Musk said it would cover 100 million square feet, about 10 times Tesla's Austin gigafactory.
In its IPO filing, SpaceX noted that “access to electricity and water at economically viable prices” will constrain the $26.5 trillion AI market. The company suggested that space-based solar power could overcome this limitation.
The company plans to go public on June 12 at $135 a share, raising $75 billion at a roughly $1.77 trillion valuation.
Photo: Frederic Legrand – COMEO on Shutterstock.com
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