Key facts
- SpaceX has spent $329 million on Tesla Megapack battery storage devices year-to-date.
- In the second quarter of 2026, SpaceX's purchases totaled $295 million.
- These industrial-scale batteries are likely being deployed at xAI's data centers.
- Prior to its merger with SpaceX, xAI had acquired $430 million worth of Megapacks.
- SpaceX also reported acquiring $131 million in Tesla Cybertrucks by December 2025.
SpaceX has significantly increased its procurement of Tesla Megapack battery storage systems, reporting expenditures of $295 million in the second quarter and a year-to-date total of $329 million. This substantial investment highlights the close operational ties between Elon Musk's various companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, which he leads.
The industrial-scale batteries are anticipated to be deployed at data centers operated by xAI, Musk's artificial intelligence venture. Before its integration with SpaceX, xAI had already committed $430 million to acquiring Megapacks for its data center infrastructure, with an additional $34 million spent in the first quarter of 2026. The company's regulatory filings also indicated that as of December 2025, SpaceX had acquired $131 million worth of Tesla Cybertrucks at their suggested retail price.
While xAI has utilized natural gas for powering its data centers, including facilities with unpermitted turbines, large battery systems like the Megapack are crucial for AI data center operations. These batteries provide essential backup power, capable of responding in under a second, and can supply the high power demands of GPUs during AI model training and inference. Such systems help manage fluctuating power needs, mitigating potential charges from utility providers or overwhelming on-site generators, thereby ensuring consistent data center operation and potentially lowering costs.