Mentioned:
Elon Musk is getting serious about solving the power bottlenecks for data centres. Which is exactly why SpaceX is preparing to begin manufacturing their own blades and vanes for gas turbines.
What’s happening:
- SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) founder Elon Musk has publicly stated that SpaceX is planning to build a blades and vanes foundry located in Bastrop, Texas to cast hot-section parts for gas turbines
Why it matters:
- This is the first time ever that SpaceX has begun preparing to cast hot-section blades and vanes for industrial gas turbines
Going deeper:
- Gas turbines have seen an explosive uptick in demand fuelled by the build out of physical infrastructure and data centres for artificial intelligence workloads, which notably has led GE Vernova (NYSE: GEV) to expand their production capacity and FTAI Aviation (NASDAQ: FTAI) to even begin converting old CFM56 jet engines into power turbines
- Elon Musk was previously named as the acquirer of mobile gas and diesel turbine company APR Energy which he has also publicly stated was actually acquired by SpaceX and will be a part of their plans to deliver power capacity to their data centres
The intrigue:
- SpaceX previously disclosed in their Form S-1 that they had entered into agreements for $2.8B USD to purchase gas turbines
The fine print:
- SpaceX has not yet publicly disclosed when they expect to be in full scale production of blades and vanes at their new foundry
