SpaceX has significantly increased its spending on Tesla Megapacks this year, investing $329 million in the industrial-scale battery storage systems through the second quarter, according to financial disclosures released Tuesday. The aerospace company spent $295 million specifically during the second quarter alone, demonstrating a substantial commitment to energy storage technology.
The large-scale purchases highlight the deeply interconnected nature of Elon Musk’s business empire. Musk leads SpaceX as its chief executive and largest shareholder while simultaneously running Tesla, which manufactures the Megapacks. SpaceX’s recent acquisition of artificial intelligence company xAI adds another layer to this network of companies under Musk’s control. The batteries are expected to power xAI’s data centers, which require substantial and reliable energy infrastructure to operate effectively.
Megapacks serve critical functions within data center operations beyond simple backup power. These batteries can deliver electricity in milliseconds when needed and help regulate fluctuating power demands inherent to artificial intelligence computing. AI data centers experience unpredictable power consumption patterns as processing demands for model training and inference vary throughout operation. By smoothing these power spikes, the batteries reduce utility costs and prevent equipment overload, making them essential infrastructure investments for energy-intensive AI operations.
Originally reported by Techcrunch →
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