Elon Musk Says SpaceX-Anthropic Compute Deal Began as Short-Term Lease
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday that the company’s agreement to provide artificial intelligence startup Anthropic with computing power was initially structured as a short-term lease rather than a long-term commitment.
Musk clarified that the agreement involves an initial 180-day lease with an option for mutual cancellation after that period through a 90-day notice arrangement.
SpaceX Previously Revealed Multi-Year Colossus Agreement
Earlier disclosures from SpaceX had indicated that Anthropic would receive computing capacity from the company’s Colossus data center through May 2029.
However, Musk responded to speculation on social media by stating that SpaceX had not formally committed to leasing Colossus infrastructure for several years, although he acknowledged that such an outcome remains possible in the future.
According to Musk, the shorter lease duration was specifically requested by SpaceX due to the possibility that the company may require additional internal computing capacity later on.
“We won’t leave them hanging and will provide a reasonable off-ramp, but if compute gets super tight I said we might need it back at some point,” Musk explained.
Anthropic Agreement Could Generate Massive Revenue for SpaceX
SpaceX previously disclosed in its IPO filing that Anthropic is expected to make monthly payments totaling approximately $1.25 billion through May 2029.
The agreement could potentially generate nearly $45 billion in revenue for SpaceX over the next three years.
Anthropic is expected to pay smaller amounts during May and June 2026 before gaining access to more than 300 megawatts of computing power from the Colossus 1 facility.
The AI startup has also expanded its agreement to include future computing capacity from SpaceX’s upcoming Colossus 2 data center.
SpaceX Expands AI Revenue Strategy
Musk recently signaled that SpaceX is also negotiating with additional companies interested in leasing computing power.
The strategy appears aimed at expanding SpaceX’s artificial intelligence-related revenue streams, especially as xAI — Musk’s AI company — reportedly posted a loss of $6.36 billion in 2025.
xAI, which merged with SpaceX last year, has aggressively borrowed funds to finance the development of large-scale AI infrastructure, including the Colossus data centers.
Competition in the AI Industry Intensifies
Leasing compute capacity could become a major monetization strategy for Musk as competition intensifies across the artificial intelligence industry.
Analysts note that xAI’s Grok chatbot still trails competing AI products developed by Anthropic and OpenAI in terms of users and paid subscriptions.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is reportedly preparing for a major initial public offering in June, aiming to raise approximately $75 billion at a valuation ranging between $1.75 trillion and $2 trillion.
