Key Notes
- SpaceX plans more than $74 billion across Texas and Arizona AI campuses.
- Starbase would generate its own electricity, while Arizona construction is targeted for 2027.
- Local approvals and utility arrangements remain important steps for the projects.
SpaceX (Nasdaq: SPCX) plans to invest more than $74 billion in two AI supercomputing campuses, committing roughly $50 billion to Cochise County, Arizona, and more than $24 billion to Starbase in South Texas.
The company announced the plans on November 12, setting out power, water and employment commitments as it seeks local support for the projects. AI already accounted for more than half of SpaceX’s third-quarter revenue, making computing infrastructure central to a business still widely associated with rockets and Starlink.
Starbase Will Generate Its Own Electricity
The Texas facility is designed to generate electricity independently of the public grid. SpaceX says the project has already generated more than 3,000 construction jobs and will support more than 500 permanent positions once operating.
The company has also committed $220 million to expand Brownsville’s water and wastewater infrastructure, including $40 million already provided to the local utility. SpaceX says the work would add about 20 million gallons of daily water capacity. The public facilities will remain under local ownership.
Arizona Construction Is Targeted for 2027
SpaceX’s Arizona proposal calls for nine supercomputing buildings plus support facilities, with power requirements reaching up to 6 gigawatts. Its project website lists 2027 as the construction start.
Construction in Arizona is expected to support about 5,500 jobs, with approximately 1,000 permanent roles once the campus is fully built. The company says the campus will use dry cooling, with no planned industrial groundwater consumption or new wells.
SpaceX is working with local electric cooperatives and says the project could lower members’ electricity bills by as much as 20%.
Local Approvals Remain Ahead
The Arizona development faces opposition as well as the prospect of new investment. A petition with about 2,400 signatures has asked officials to reject its permit, and a county public hearing is scheduled for December.
In Texas, a city notice describes a gas-fired power plant and supercomputing facility on roughly 444 acres. The Starbase City Commission is due to consider a property-tax abatement for the project on December 9.
