According to a Reuters report on January 31st, SpaceX submitted an application to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission last Friday, proposing to launch up to one million satellites to build an "orbital data center." Concurrently, there have been frequent recent reports suggesting that SpaceX is considering an Initial Public Offering. The market is closely monitoring the latest developments as entrepreneur Elon Musk advances his space-based computing power strategy.
The documents filed by SpaceX with the FCC reveal the company's application to launch and operate a satellite network consisting of as many as one million satellites. According to SpaceX's description, this will be an "orbital data center system" with unprecedented computational capacity, capable of supporting advanced AI models and related applications. SpaceX argues that, compared to building traditional AI data centers on Earth, utilizing solar power in space would result in extremely low operational and maintenance costs, thereby achieving a revolutionary improvement in energy efficiency.
As one of the companies under American entrepreneur Elon Musk, SpaceX's push into space-based computing is also seen by the market as a significant move indicating Musk's consideration of consolidating his corporate assets. Last week, Reuters cited sources familiar with the matter, disclosing that Musk is considering a merger between SpaceX and xAI, with plans for a large-scale IPO within the year. External speculation suggests that, through this move, SpaceX's in-orbit data centers would supply massive computational power to xAI.
Bloomberg has also reported on potential discussions about a merger between SpaceX and Tesla Motors. The rationale behind this idea is that Tesla's capability in manufacturing energy storage systems could assist SpaceX in operating these data centers using solar power in space. It is also reported that Musk has previously explored the possibility of using SpaceX's Starship launch vehicle to transport Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus, to the Moon and Mars.
However, insiders have also stated that Musk has not yet made a final decision, details are subject to change, and the relevant companies may remain independent. As of now, neither Musk nor the three aforementioned companies have commented on the matter.
Furthermore, sources revealed that SpaceX achieved revenues between $15 billion and $16 billion last year, with EBITDA approximately around $8 billion, providing a new perspective for assessing the company's financial health.
Comments