With a big $40 billion investment, SpaceX is willing to commit to a massive financing round in order to get the advanced chips and computing hardware they need to advance its AI plans. The announcement, made on October 26, 2026, is an agreement in which an Apollo Global Management-managed entity will buy AI chips and other server hardware from SpaceX, which will then lease these out to other entities.
The deal underlines one of the biggest problems in the field of AI today, which is the need to generate a ton of computing power to create a powerful system, and even huge tech companies are now seeking funding from third parties to access this power.
Apollo Will Buy the Chips, Then Lease Them to SpaceX
The deal will see an Apollo Global Management-controlled entity buying the graphics processing units (GPUs) and other data center gear, after which it will lease out the hardware to SpaceX. GPUs are specialized processors capable of performing large amounts of calculations to train and run large AI models.
The gear will feature next-generation NVIDIA Vera Rubin chips, which are part of SpaceX’s computing infrastructure, according to Apollo’s announcement. Several financial institutions have been part of the financing, including Apollo, which led the financing, and Goldman Sachs, which was the structuring agent. Other investments include BlackRock and Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s funds and capital accounts, led by KKR.
A Rocket Company needs AI Computing Power
SpaceX is perhaps best known as a company that launches rockets, launches satellites, and works on spacecraft for missions to the Moon and Mars. However, its plans are now increasingly focused on ‘infrastructure’ – on the need for access to massive amounts of computing power – which is the other side of AI.
SpaceX’s announcement says that the chips will be used to power up SpaceX’s computing efforts, such as infrastructure that will be available for businesses and for individual users to use to power Grok, as well as cloud computing services.
But SpaceX’s goals are not just in the field of artificial intelligence. It’s spending money on computing infrastructure alongside its long-term plans for lunar and Mars missions, with Westinghouse’s ability to finance a number of high-cost projects being a significant factor. SpaceX is projected to spend $35 billion to $40 billion in the fourth quarter of 2026, Reuters reported.
The $40 Billion Deal Comes With Financial Risks
The size of the funding amount reflects the high cost of the AI race. But just because a substantial amount of financing is committed doesn’t necessarily mean the investment will return that investment.
SpaceX will have to start using the equipment and create sufficient client income and revenue from its artificial intelligence and computing services to cover the running costs of its infrastructure and lease payments.
According to Apollo, SpaceX expects to see the investments in superintelligence infrastructure pay off in less than a year. This is an estimate provided by the company, not an independently verified result, and actual performance will be determined by demand, cost of operation, and the capacity of the company to monetize the computing capacity.
Also, the final financing costs are important. The deal will be conditional on closing, which will include other terms in SpaceX’s regulatory filing, the company says in its announcement. The complete financial picture will become evident as additional details become known.
The investment also shows the proliferation of AI technology and its linkage to the financial markets. With the cost of computing infrastructure rising, it’s important to have not just access to the chips but access to capital.
What Happens Before the AI Chips Arrive?
The next step is to finalize the financing deal and to provide the hardware. SpaceX anticipates the deal will be completed before the end of 2026 and that equipment is delivered, and lease agreements are in place starting in the first half of 2027.
The next question is how soon SpaceX can convert that equipment into appropriate computing services. Additional chips will give more capacity, but the company will have to construct the necessary infrastructure and get customers to pay for it.
For now, the $40 billion deal provides SpaceX with a big investment stream in its AI ventures. The longer-term success will depend on whether or not that investment can sustain a business as the company keeps chasing its space dreams.
