# Musk says SpaceX may run Nvidia VR72 at 250kW, report says

Digest AI · Hardware & Compute · published 2026-10-01T15:30:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/musk-says-spacex-may-run-nvidia-vr72-at-250kw-report-says

## Summary

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated on X that the company is "cautiously optimistic" about running its version of Nvidia's VR72 AI system at an average power level of 250 kilowatts. He described this potential milestone as a "big deal" that would also apply to ground-based systems, crediting a "close working partnership and co-design" with Nvidia's engineering team. If achieved, this sustained power level would allow for high utilization of the AI hardware, though Musk did not specify the exact workloads involved.

Industry insider Aaron Burnett, founder of Mach33, noted that 250kW of average power could result in battery-supported peaks closer to 275kW. Burnett estimated this target is 10% to 25% above typical third-party reported averages for VR72 systems. He highlighted the technical challenge of heat rejection, stating that SpaceX's StarMind team would need a plan to continuously manage the heat produced by such a sustained load.

These comments highlight SpaceX's expanding AI infrastructure role. The company has disclosed major compute agreements, including a deal where Google will pay $920 million per month from October 2026 through June 2029 for access to 110,000 Nvidia GPUs and related equipment. Additionally, Anthropic has an agreement to pay $1.25 billion per month through May 2029 for output from SpaceX's Colossus 1 data center near Memphis.

## Key points

- Musk says SpaceX may run Nvidia VR72 at 250kW average power, potentially 10-25% above industry averages.
- Google will pay SpaceX $920 million per month for 110,000 Nvidia GPUs from October 2026 to June 2029.
- Anthropic will pay $1.25 billion per month for Colossus 1 data center output through May 2029.

## Why it matters

Higher power density in AI hardware enables greater compute efficiency and scale. SpaceX's role as a major AI infrastructure provider, backed by multi-billion dollar contracts with Google and Anthropic, signals a shift in how large-scale AI training capacity is sourced and distributed.

## Sources

1. [SPCX Stock Climbs Overnight: Musk Teases ‘Big Deal’ Nvidia AI Milestone — Industry Insider Flags Up To 25% Higher Power](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/spcx-stock-climbs-overnight-musk-054420506.html) (finance.yahoo.com, 2026-10-01)

Part of the developing story: [SpaceX Massive GPU Expansion](https://digestai.news/thread/spacexai-to-add-660-000-gpus-nearing-1-44-million-total) (2 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Musk says SpaceX may run Nvidia VR72 at 250kW, report says", 1 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/musk-says-spacex-may-run-nvidia-vr72-at-250kw-report-says

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