Elon Musk Says His New Foundry Can Get Gas Turbines Online 18 Months Faster. Here's What This "Profound Game Changer" Would Mean for SpaceX and Tesla.
Musk's turbine push could accelerate his massive AI infrastructure build-out.
Overview
Elon Musk says Space Exploration Technologies (NASDAQ: SPCX) can bring natural gas turbines online up to 18 months faster by manufacturing one of its most difficult components in-house. If he's right, SpaceX could remove one of the biggest bottlenecks facing the artificial intelligence (AI) boom: electricity.
SpaceX is developing a foundry in Bastrop, Texas, that will manufacture turbine blades and vanes. These components have become a major constraint on new gas turbine production, contributing to increasingly long waits for the equipment needed to power new data centers. Musk says bringing that manufacturing in-house could shave as much as 18 months off the time required to get turbines online, calling the potential impact a "profound game changer."
Details
For SpaceX, that could mean getting AI data centers running faster instead of waiting years for additional power generation. And for Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), it could make the company's rapidly expanding energy business even more relevant as Musk builds out the power infrastructure needed to support AI.
Source
Originally published at www.fool.com.