Space-based solar becomes Musk’s new obsession as AI power needs surge

Elon Musk appears to be shifting away from terrestrial solar power, as SpaceX’s IPO filing highlights a future centered on space-based solar arrays rather than traditional solar infrastructure on Earth. Meanwhile, xAI is powering its rapidly expanding data centers with natural gas turbines and investing billions in fossil-fuel-driven capacity, contradicting Tesla’s long-standing mission of accelerating a solar electric economy. Musk seems convinced that AI’s explosive compute demands will soon exceed Earth’s energy capabilities, pushing him toward orbital data centers powered by constant sunlight. The article warns that the economics and engineering challenges of space-based computing remain enormous, and abandoning Earth-based solar may undermine the clean-energy goals Musk once championed.

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