According to Bloomberg, citing an anonymous source, AI company Anthropic is now the largest individual client of SpaceX. The source confirmed that "Customer B," listed in SpaceX's latest financial report under its new designation "SpaceXSI" (SpaceX Super Intelligence), refers to Anthropic. This partnership, established earlier this year, involves a multi-billion dollar deal where Anthropic secured a significant portion of the AI computing capacity from xAI, Elon Musk's AI firm which has since merged into SpaceX. This strategic move contributed to the company recording its first billion-dollar profit following its record-breaking initial public offering.
This development underscores a broader trend highlighted by Ars Technica: while Musk's aerospace firm relied heavily on US government funding for over a decade, the dynamic has reversed. NASA is now entirely dependent on SpaceX for transporting humans into space, whereas SpaceX is increasingly distancing itself from the agency. Reports suggest that the Crew Dragon capsule will only transport astronauts until 2030, and the Falcon 9 rocket could be retired as early as 2028. Consequently, SpaceX is no longer bidding for every lucrative government contract.
Both Bloomberg and Ars Technica conclude that SpaceX intends to generate future revenue primarily through artificial intelligence. The massive data center in Memphis leased to Anthropic represents just the beginning of this strategy. Musk aims to relocate large-scale AI data centers into space to utilize "free" solar energy, though the technical feasibility of this approach remains debated. In terms of aerospace operations, SpaceX is now focusing entirely on the Starship rocket, which is designed to carry significantly more payload than previous systems. However, Ars Technica notes a lack of evidence that SpaceX is developing deployment mechanisms for large payloads, such as the space telescopes required by NASA, with current mechanisms appearing suitable only for Starlink and data center satellites.
Sources: t3n.