SpaceX's agreement to supply Anthropic with large-scale computing capacity is a short-term arrangement in its current form, CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday evening. Musk described the contract as an initial 180-day lease, with either party able to terminate the deal on 90 days' notice thereafter.
The remarks followed an earlier disclosure in SpaceX's IPO filing that outlined a multi-year payment schedule tied to the company’s Colossus compute centers. That filing showed Anthropic would make monthly payments of $1.25 billion to SpaceX through May 2029, a structure the filing said could translate into nearly $45 billion of potential revenue over a three-year span.
Musk clarified that SpaceX has not committed to leasing Colossus for years, though he allowed that extended leases are possible. In his comments he emphasized the short-term nature of the current arrangement and said the limited term was requested by SpaceX to preserve flexibility for its own computing demands.
"SpaceX has not committed to leasing Colossus for years, although it’s possible that may be what happens."
Describing the operational terms, Musk said the Anthropic deal begins with a 180-day lease period and includes a 90-day mutual cancellation notice provision. He added that SpaceX sought the short-term structure because the company might require the compute capacity for internal projects.
"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 said.
The filing also indicated that Anthropic will pay a reduced monthly amount in May and June 2026, and that it will receive access to in excess of 300 megawatts of compute capacity from SpaceX’s Colossus 1 data center. The deal was later expanded to include computing power from the forthcoming Colossus 2 facility as well.
Musk has previously indicated that SpaceX is in discussions with additional potential customers for computing capacity, signalling a broader commercial effort to monetize the Colossus buildout. The company’s AI unit, xAI, which merged into SpaceX last year, reported a $6.36 billion loss in 2025, and that entity has taken on substantial borrowing to finance its AI infrastructure, including the Colossus centers.
Leasing excess compute capacity to third parties is being presented internally and externally as a way to generate revenue from the significant capital spending on AI infrastructure. The filing and Musk’s comments link that effort to broader corporate finances, noting xAI’s losses and the competitive performance gap between xAI’s Grok chatbot and rival offerings from companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI in terms of users and paid subscriptions.
SpaceX is preparing for a large public offering in June. The company is targeting approximately $75 billion in proceeds and a valuation range of $1.75 trillion to $2 trillion in that IPO.
Details and context
- Initial term: 180-day lease with a 90-day mutual cancellation provision.
- IPO filing terms: Anthropic to pay $1.25 billion per month through May 2029, implying nearly $45 billion over three years.
- Capacity: Anthropic to gain access to more than 300 megawatts from Colossus 1; agreement later expanded to Colossus 2.
- xAI financials: Reported a $6.36 billion loss in 2025 and has used borrowing to support its AI buildout.