Anthropic to Pay SpaceX $1.25 Billion Monthly for AI Compute
Anthropic agreed to pay SpaceX $1.25 billion per month through 2029 for access to the Colossus and Colossus II data center clusters.
Anthropic has entered a multibillion-dollar infrastructure partnership with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., agreeing to pay $1.25 billion per month through May 2029 for AI compute capacity. The deal, revealed in SpaceX's S-1 IPO filing, grants Anthropic access to the Colossus and Colossus II data center clusters, including the full output of the Colossus 1 facility in Memphis, Tennessee. This agreement could generate over $40 billion in revenue for SpaceX, which is positioning itself as a neocloud provider to monetize unused capacity despite its AI segment losing $2.5 billion in the March quarter.
Anthropic is utilizing the compute for inference and training of its Claude and Mythos models. The startup expects its June quarter sales to reach at least $10.9 billion, potentially leading to its first quarterly operating profit of $559 million. However, analysts suggest immense compute costs may impact profitability throughout the remainder of the year.
The partnership coincides with local tension in Memphis, where Elon Musk paused construction of an $80 million wastewater treatment plant to prioritize the stability of Colossus 2. Memphis Mayor Paul Young has countered that completing the water project is a requirement for the project's operation in the city. The contract allows either party to terminate the agreement with 90 days' notice.
