According to reports, SpaceX, the rocket company owned by Tesla (TSLA.US) CEO Elon Musk, is intensifying its preparations for an initial public offering, aiming to be the first to deploy AI computing infrastructure in space amidst a backdrop of companies densely positioning themselves in the artificial intelligence data center sector. Insiders claim that Musk hopes SpaceX will become the world's first company to deploy an AI data center in orbit, a goal requiring tens of billions of dollars in funding that almost certainly necessitates an IPO. The concept of placing AI data centers in low Earth orbit has long faced skepticism due to its high technical difficulty and demanding energy and cooling requirements, particularly for schemes relying on solar power and continuous orbit around the Earth. The report indicates this concept has gained significant momentum over the past year, with Musk being deeply committed and viewing it as a key strategic direction for SpaceX's future. Sources also reveal that Musk sees a SpaceX listing as an important pathway to support his AI startup, xAI. It was previously reported that SpaceX invested approximately $20 billion in xAI last July, marking one of its first major publicly disclosed external investments in an AI company. Earlier this month, xAI announced the completion of its Series E funding round, raising $200 billion, surpassing prior market expectations of $150 billion. Although xAI responded to related reports by stating "legacy media is lying," and SpaceX has not commented, many industry insiders believe that a successful SpaceX market debut would significantly enhance xAI's competitiveness in computing power, model training, and commercialization through generated cash flow and valuation premiums. Currently, xAI lags behind OpenAI and Anthropic on key metrics such as revenue scale and user base, and also trails Alphabet's (GOOG.US, GOOGL.US) Google Gemini model. The report states that Musk hopes SpaceX will complete its IPO ahead of these AI giants. It is reported that SpaceX is preparing to select investment banks to lead the listing process, with Musk indicating to associates his desire to complete the IPO as early as July this year. Previously, SpaceX executives had repeatedly emphasized that the company "would not go public until rockets achieve regular flights to Mars," but this stance has evidently shifted. Musk has publicly complained in the past about the regulatory and legal pressures of running a public company, especially during his tenure managing Tesla, where he repeatedly clashed with regulators and courts over issues like compensation. However, as the importance of AI and space strategy has increased, SpaceX's attitude towards an IPO has clearly shifted towards pragmatism. Former SpaceX employees disclosed that the company has been researching key technologies like computing nodes for years in preparation for building an AI satellite network. By last autumn, with increased resource allocation, SpaceX achieved phased breakthroughs in "how to build and launch a space data center," prompting this originally mid-to-long-term goal to be elevated to a "highly urgent matter" around the middle of last year. Meanwhile, competitors are also accelerating their plans. OpenAI founder Sam Altman reportedly considered deploying space-based computing power last year through cooperation with or acquisition of a rocket startup; Amazon (AMZN.US) founder Jeff Bezos has also publicly stated that moving data centers into orbit "makes logical sense." Musk himself has repeatedly stated on his social platform X that solar-powered AI satellites are the future. Analysts point out that the real challenge lies in execution. To deploy thousands of AI data center satellites, SpaceX must first achieve stable operation of its new-generation heavy-lift rocket, Starship. This rocket has been undergoing test flights for nearly three years but has not yet carried a commercial payload mission. The report states that SpaceX is expected to conduct a test flight of an upgraded Starship soon.
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