SpaceX officials outlined plans to deploy up to 10 GW of compute capacity on the ground by 2027, signaling a strategic shift toward becoming a data provider for artificial intelligence. During an earnings call on Tuesday afternoon, company leaders emphasized that this expansion marks a departure from previous aspirational goals of sending humans to Mars. The discussion centered almost exclusively on the data infrastructure required to support the growth of AI systems.
Despite this focus on terrestrial compute, the company's long-term vision for space-based data services remains dependent on its Starship rocket. SpaceX intends to provide these services initially through its Starlink Internet constellation and eventually via a proposed data center constellation called Starmind. Elon Musk, the company's founder, and Gwynne Shotwell, its president and chief operating officer, used the earnings call to present new performance targets for the Starship vehicle, which is essential for realizing these orbital ambitions.