SpaceX Backs Anthropic With Colossus 1 Data Centre Deal: 220,000 GPUs for Claude

Published November 10, 2026 | Tech & AI | TrendWire Daily

In one of the strangest partnerships in the AI race, Elon Musk's SpaceX is now powering one of his biggest AI rivals. Anthropic has reached a deal to use the full computing power of SpaceX's Colossus 1 data center in Memphis, Tennessee — a facility housing more than 220,000 Nvidia processors — giving the maker of the Claude chatbot 300 megawatts of new capacity.

What the Deal Is

Direct answer: Anthropic signed a deal to take all of the computing capacity at SpaceX's Colossus 1 data center in Memphis, Tennessee — more than 220,000 Nvidia GPUs, including H100, H200 and GB200 accelerators, and more than 300 megawatts of capacity. The agreement was announced on May 6, 2026, and was confirmed in Anthropic's S-1 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on October 26, 2026, which disclosed compute commitments to SpaceX of up to $120.5 billion through 2029. Al Jazeera reported the deal on November 10, 2026, as SpaceX heads toward an initial public offering.

Colossus 1 was built by xAI, Musk's AI company, in 2024 to train its Grok models. xAI became a wholly owned subsidiary of SpaceX in a $1.25 trillion all-stock merger that closed on February 2, 2026. After xAI moved its own training to the newer Colossus 2 facility, Colossus 1's capacity became available — and Anthropic, which needs computing power now rather than in 18 months, took all of it. The new capacity comes online within a month of the agreement, according to the announcement.

The Money: Up to $120.5 Billion Through 2029

The headline numbers are enormous, and they need careful reading. Anthropic's S-1, filed October 26, 2026, disclosed that its compute contract with SpaceX could reach up to $120.5 billion by 2029. Monthly payments are expected to rise to about $3.1 billion — roughly $37.2 billion a year — once full GPU deliveries are completed in December 2026.

That is the potential value, not money already paid. Earlier reporting based on SpaceX's IPO filings put the run rate at about $1.25 billion a month over three years, through May 2029, for a total of nearly $45 billion under one set of agreements; the S-1 covers a series of agreements signed between May and October 2026 spanning Colossus 1 and a second SpaceX data center, which accounts for the larger $120.5 billion figure. Either side can end the deal with 90 days' notice after initial lock-in periods ending in January and March 2027.

The scale is already visible in SpaceX's finances. According to Bloomberg reporting cited in trade coverage, Anthropic — listed anonymously as "Customer B" in SpaceX's financial statements — contributed about $5 billion in revenue, or 34.5 percent of SpaceX's total, making it SpaceX's largest customer, ahead of the US federal government at 16.6 percent. SpaceX reported third-quarter total revenue of $14.6 billion.

Why Musk Agreed — and Why Anthropic Needed It

The deal is striking because of the history between the parties. Musk is suing OpenAI, alleging it backtracked on its mission, and he has publicly criticized Anthropic in the past. In February 2026 he wrote on X that Anthropic had "lied" — and yet, as one account of the deal put it, after spending time with Anthropic's senior leadership, he agreed to lease Colossus 1 to the company, saying SpaceX's AI arm had already moved training to Colossus 2.

For Anthropic, the logic is capacity. Its other compute commitments — including a five-year, $200 billion arrangement for Google TPUs and a $30 billion Microsoft and Nvidia Azure partnership — do not produce capacity for another six to twelve months. Colossus 1 is available now. For SpaceX, the logic is monetization: it gets a marquee customer paying for a data center its own training operation no longer needs, just as it prepares for an IPO.

The arrangement also sits alongside Anthropic's wider infrastructure push. The company recently struck a $3.4 billion deal for gas generators to power new data centers, and on November 9 it launched its new Claude Fable 5.2 and Mythos 5.2 models — models that will need exactly the kind of computing power Colossus 1 provides.

Orbital Data Centers: The Next Step?

The most striking element of the partnership looks past terrestrial infrastructure entirely. Anthropic and SpaceX said they have "expressed interest" in developing multiple gigawatts of orbital, space-based AI compute capacity — one of Musk's key goals and a major driver behind SpaceX's IPO. Neither company committed to a timeline or capital figure, and the endeavour is expected to be highly capital-intensive and technically challenging.

SpaceX's compute ambitions are already vast on the ground. On November 1, Musk said its Colossus 2 supercomputing center on the outskirts of Memphis had deployed a combined 860,000 Nvidia GB300 chips across four halls, with two halls in operation since October 2026 and the other two due online in November and December. Adding Colossus 1, built between 2024 and 2025 and mainly using H100 and H200 chips, brings SpaceX's two centers to roughly the equivalent of 930,000 GB300 chips, drawing about 1.3 gigawatts — comparable, Musk's supporters note, to China's total national intelligent compute capacity as of July.

Endless rows of server racks with green indicator lights inside a huge AI supercomputer hall

The Local Cost in Memphis

The deal is not without controversy in Memphis. Colossus 1 sits in Boxtown, a historically Black neighborhood, and xAI installed dozens of natural gas turbines to power the facility, drawing scrutiny from residents and environmental groups. Anthropic's own gas-generator deal for other data centers has drawn similar attention. As AI companies race to secure power, the question of who bears the local cost — air quality, grid strain, water use — is becoming part of every major compute announcement.

For now, the deal stands as a sign of the times: in 2026, compute scarcity overrides almost every other consideration, including who you have to do business with to solve it. A rival AI lab is paying Elon Musk's rocket company billions to run its models — and both sides consider that a good deal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the SpaceX–Anthropic Colossus 1 deal?

Anthropic signed a deal to use all of the computing capacity at SpaceX's Colossus 1 data center in Memphis, Tennessee — more than 220,000 Nvidia GPUs and over 300 megawatts of capacity. The agreement was announced on May 6, 2026, and confirmed in Anthropic's S-1 filing on October 26, 2026.

How much is Anthropic paying SpaceX?

Anthropic's S-1 disclosed compute commitments to SpaceX of up to $120.5 billion through 2029, with monthly payments expected to reach about $3.1 billion once full capacity is delivered in December 2026. That is the potential value, not money already paid, and either side can cancel with 90 days' notice after lock-ins ending in January and March 2027.

What is Colossus 1?

Colossus 1 is a Memphis data center originally built by xAI, Elon Musk's AI company, in 2024 to train its Grok models. xAI became a SpaceX subsidiary in a $1.25 trillion merger that closed on February 2, 2026. xAI has since moved its own training to the newer Colossus 2 facility.

Why does Anthropic need SpaceX's computing power?

Anthropic needs capacity now. Its other commitments — a $200 billion Google TPU arrangement and a $30 billion Microsoft/Nvidia Azure partnership — will not produce capacity for another six to twelve months, while Colossus 1 is available immediately.

What are orbital data centers?

Anthropic and SpaceX said they have "expressed interest" in developing multiple gigawatts of space-based orbital AI data centers. No timeline or capital figure has been committed, and the idea is expected to be highly capital-intensive and technically challenging.

How big is Anthropic as a SpaceX customer?

According to Bloomberg reporting, Anthropic — listed anonymously as "Customer B" in SpaceX's financial statements — contributed about $5 billion in revenue, or 34.5 percent of SpaceX's total, making it SpaceX's largest customer, ahead of the US federal government at 16.6 percent.

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