Elon Musk Expands SpaceX into Gas Turbine Manufacturing

Elon Musk is expanding SpaceX into the power generation market by establishing a new factory in Bastrop, Texas, to manufacture high-temperature blades and vanes for industrial gas turbines. The initiative targets a critical supply chain bottleneck where turbine availability is sold out through 2030, a shortage that threatens the expansion of AI data centers.

Musk claims that moving casting operations in-house could accelerate the deployment of natural gas turbines by up to 18 months. To further secure power infrastructure, Musk acquired APR Energy, a provider of mobile gas turbine power plants. This vertical integration is designed to help SpaceX reach approximately 10 gigawatts of AI computing capacity by the end of 2027.

These natural gas efforts will supplement solar production initiatives led by SpaceX and Tesla to ensure sufficient energy for the company's computing goals.