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A recap for those not enmeshed in the Musk-verse: Tesla has released four Master Plans over the years, and while details have varied, the through line has been electrification of the economy.
Key facts
SpaceX spent $131 million on 1,279 Cybertrucks, and xAI has spent $697 million in the last two years on Tesla Megapacks, it’s grid-scale battery storage systems that the company will use to manage
But consider that humanity today uses about 35,000 terawatt-hours of energy annually, or about 4 terawatts on a continuous basis
As AI data centers have run into opposition here on Earth, CEOs like Musk have started mulling big server racks in space powered by that 24/7 sunshine
But recently, one of Musk’s companies, xAI, has embraced the mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy, using dozens of unregulated natural gas turbines to power its data centers with plans to buy $2.8
Summary
Has Elon Musk given up on Tesla’s Master Plans, on the electrified economy, on solar power as they know it? But recently, one of Musk’s companies, xAI, has embraced the mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy, using dozens of unregulated natural gas turbines to power its data centers with plans to buy $2.8 billion more, effectively cementing the fossil fuel’s role in the company’s AI operations. It’s a curious turn for a businessman who built his empire on clean energy — and who has no qualms directing his companies to buy from one another. Solar power isn’t missing in the SpaceX filing, it’s all concentrated on space, which the company touts as the future of data center power.