Elon Musk announces SpaceX will launch NVIDIA AI chips by 2027

Elon Musk said on X on September 13 that SpaceX will launch NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin AI computers into orbit next year, and he is “highly confident” the satellite will be in space by the fourth quarter of 2027. The announcement ties the two companies together and has already moved their stocks, with NVIDIA shares up and SpaceX shares volatile.

Musk’s claim is part of SpaceX’s Starmind project, which aims to put AI data centres in space instead of on the ground. The first satellite, called Starmind AI1, will carry a space‑optimised version of NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin NVL72 system. The terrestrial version houses 72 Rubin GPUs and 36 Vera CPUs, but the exact configuration for orbit has not been disclosed. Musk has said before that SpaceX will build its future AI infrastructure exclusively on NVIDIA hardware, calling the Vera Rubin design the best available. He argues that orbit will eventually be the cheapest place to run AI because solar power is abundant and hardware can be lighter and denser than in a traditional data centre.

Analysts note that a SpaceX contract could add a new, albeit speculative, revenue stream for NVIDIA, which already supplies most ground‑based AI hardware. Roughly 5 % of NVIDIA’s revenue is modelled to come from SpaceX. The plan, however, hinges on Starship, SpaceX’s next‑generation rocket, proving it can launch frequently and reliably at the scale Musk envisions. Investors reacted mixedly: NVIDIA’s stock rose more than 4 % after Musk’s August earnings call, while SpaceX’s shares fell more than 10 % before partially recovering. Microsoft President Brad Smith expressed doubt, saying he would be surprised if companies moved significant computing workloads to low‑Earth orbit.

If SpaceX succeeds, orbital AI computing could reshape the economics of machine‑learning workloads. Cheaper power and reduced cooling needs might lower costs for large models. The launch will test whether the physics and business case line up in the next few years. A successful Starmind satellite could spur other firms to explore space‑based data centres, while a setback would reinforce skepticism about moving critical AI infrastructure off planet.