The announcement
On November 12, SpaceX announced an investment plan of more than $740 billion for two data center campuses dedicated to artificial intelligence, one in Texas and one in Arizona. According to IT之家's account, which cites the company's press release, the move marks the company's expansion from rocket launches and satellite connectivity into computing infrastructure for training frontier models. The total figure, as reported by the source, is equivalent to about 4,947 billion yuan at the stated exchange rate.
The Texas project
The main site will rise near Starbase, Texas, on about 444 acres owned by SpaceX itself, with an investment of more than $240 billion. The company says the facility will generate its own power through gas-fired plants, without relying on the public grid, and that the project has already created more than 3,000 construction jobs, to which more than 500 permanent positions would be added once the plant is completed.
The most significant fact is not only the amount but the production model: a computing hub of this size with an autonomous energy supply reduces dependence on existing electrical infrastructure, but ties computing capacity to fuel availability and plant management. The material does not clarify the planned power capacity or the construction timeline.
The Arizona sticking point
The second campus, in Cochise County, Arizona, is worth about $500 billion and has not yet been authorized: it requires county approval. SpaceX claims it will bring about 5,500 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent ones, that it will work with the local electric cooperative to strengthen the grid, and that some members could see bill reductions of up to 20%. The company also says cooling will be dry, without the use of industrial groundwater.
This is where the main elements to be verified are concentrated. According to IT之家, about 2,400 people have signed a petition against the granting of the permit, and the county hearing is scheduled for December. The statements about employment and energy benefits come from the company and are not confirmed by independent sources in the available material.
Why it matters
The reading offered by Reuters, cited by the source, is that SpaceX is gradually shifting its center of gravity toward the large-scale computing needed to train models. If confirmed, the plan would place a private aerospace operator among the major builders of computing capacity, an area so far associated mainly with large technology groups.
Several points nevertheless remain open: the financial sustainability of a commitment of this size, the construction timeline, the actual approval of the Arizona site, and the impact on local power grids. The full picture will depend on the outcome of the December hearing and on any updates from the company.
