SpaceX and xAI are building a satellite factory called Gigafactory in Bastrop, Texas. The facility will span 11 million square feet. The goal is to achieve 1 gigawatt of orbital AI computing capacity by the end of 2027.
Gigafactory: 11 million square feet for space-based AI
The project brings together Elon Musk's two companies: SpaceX, the rocket builder, and xAI, his artificial intelligence venture. The factory will be located in Bastrop, a small city east of Austin that has become a hub for Musk's operations. The scale is enormous — 11 million square feet, roughly the size of 190 football fields.
The 1-gigawatt target
The stated goal is to achieve 1 gigawatt of orbital AI computing capacity by the end of 2027. That's a massive amount of computing power, equivalent to many large data centers on Earth. By moving AI computing into orbit, the companies aim to leverage space-based infrastructure for processing power, potentially reducing latency and energy costs.
Why move AI to space?
The rationale behind orbital AI computing is not fully detailed in the announcement, but the concept involves placing data centers in space to take advantage of solar energy and avoid terrestrial constraints. SpaceX's Starship, designed for heavy payloads, could be the delivery vehicle for these orbital computing units.
The project is still in early stages, with the factory yet to be built. The 2027 deadline sets an ambitious pace. Whether the companies can meet that target remains an open question.
