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LIVE BLOG: Tesla 2024 Cyber Roundup (Annual Stockholders’ Meeting)

Credit: Tesla

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Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) 2024 Annual Stockholders Meeting, also known as the 2024 Cyber Roundup, is here. There’s a notable degree of excitement surrounding the event, thanks in no small part to Elon Musk’s post on X stating that TSLA shareholders are strongly on track to approve the ratification of his 2018 CEO Performance Award and the proposed redomestication of Tesla from Delaware to Texas. 

Tesla has posted a link to the official livestream of the 2024 Cyber Roundup on social media platform X. Images posted by Tesla investors who are at Giga Texas show that the event hall where the meeting will be held is now filling up. Based on videos and photos that have been shared of the 2024 Cyber Roundup so far, it would appear that TSLA stockholders are currently in good spirits. 

Tesla’s 2024 Cyber Roundup is expected to begin with stockholders voting on a number of key proposals. Following this, a Q&A session with CEO Elon Musk and a number of other executives is expected. 

The following are live updates from Tesla’s 2024 Cyber Roundup. I will be updating this article in real-time, so please keep refreshing the page every minute or two to view the latest updates on this story.

17:53 CT – And that ends Tesla’s 2024 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting! Elon Musk thanks the company’s shareholders for their support before exiting the stage.

17:50 CT – A Tesla investor asked about lithium refining and if the company would need to expand past Texas. Musk noted that there’s enough lithium if China is included, but if there’s a geopolitical conflict, then lithium might be a limiting factor.

17:47 CT – An investor asked about Tesla without Elon. Musk noted that while he is a helpful accelerant to Tesla’s future, he believes that the company will be fine after him. But as things stand today, his biggest contribution to Tesla is the fact that he accelerates the company’s innovations. “What matters is if we can be faster than everybody else,” Musk noted.

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17:41 CT – A shareholder asked if Optimus would have some sort of personality that could be set by the user. Musk noted that this would indeed be the case. “You would be able to customize the personality, customize its voice. It will kind of just understand you,” Musk said.

17:35 CT – Musk noted that the Cybertruck Foundation Series will be ending soon, with non-Foundation Series Cybertrucks being made available next quarter.

17:32 CT – A shareholder asked about the international reception for the Cybertruck. Musk noted that the Cybertruck is designed for North America, but Tesla may be able to get the vehicle certified for other markets next year.

Such a thing, however, requires complexity, and thus, it probably should not be done until the Cybertruck achieves volume production. At that point, the cost grind and other efforts to make the Cybertruck compliant to other markets would begin.

17:28 CT – A Tesla stockholder credited the efforts of the TSLA retail community for their work in encouraging investors to vote for the 2024 Cyber Roundup’s proposals. Musk agreed.

Another shareholder asked about Tesla’s 4680 project and how it could help vehicles’ affordability. Musk noted that cell suppliers have drastically lowered the prices of their batteries. He also noted that making a car affordable is like playing Game of Thrones but with pennies. Thus, battery cells are only one part of the equation.

Tesla is seeing a path to cost parity with its battery efforts this year, Musk noted.

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17:24 CT – A TSLA stockholder asked about Donald Trump admitted that he loves Tesla and Musk’s work. Musk joked that he could be persuasive, but he did talk to Trump after the presidential candidate called him. Musk also noted that a lot of Trump’s friends drive Teslas, and the candidate is a fan of the Cybertruck.

Another shareholder asked about the robotaxi’s steering wheel-less design and how Tesla would handle interventions in such a vehicle. Musk noted that such vehicles will be extremely cautious so the probability of the car hurting a pedestrian would be incredibly low. But in cases when an intervention is needed, Musk noted that Tesla could probably control its driverless cars remotely.

17:20 CT – A shareholder asked if Tesla is still working on an HVAC system. Musk acknowledged the question, stating that Tesla has a lot of innovations that can be used to make a good system. It is, however, not super high on Tesla’s things to do.

Another stockholder stated that the Tesla Cybertruck is really a hit with kids. The shareholder asked Musk if Tesla would eventually allow kids to tour the company’s factories. Musk stated that something like kid-friendly factory tours would indeed be rolled out.

17:18 CT – A Tesla shareholder makes the case for more constant FSD transfers. Musk stated that it is tough since the company should have some revenue. He did note that FSD transfers would be active for one more quarter. The audience applauds.

Another stockholder noted that Musk should take care of himself for the sake of Tesla and its shareholders. Musk admitted that he probably needs to work out and not get assassinated or something. He joked that he’s probably on the list of some homicidal maniacs because his name is heard by a lot of people. Musk did admit that he is becoming a bit more cautious.

17:15 CT – A TSLA stockholder asked when Musk thinks Tesla could be the world’s most valuable company. Musk noted that it’s worth looking at ARK Invest’s analysis as their estimates are the most accurate. Musk noted that a five-year timeline might be feasible.

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Another shareholder asked about Tesla’s referral program, and when the company could do a passenger van. Musk noted that the van would be added to his list. He also noted that Tesla will reexamine the referral program next quarter. Musk stated that the referral program increases the price of the car, but Tesla will look into it. “I think some kind of referral program makes sense,” Musk said.

The CEO also noted that the cost remains a limiter for demand. He noted that if the Model Y costs below $20,000, it would probably sell 5 million units per year. “We have to make it affordable. That’s essential,” he said.

17:09 CT – The Q&A sessions begin! The first shareholder thanked Elon Musk for his work in keeping the first amendment. Musk thanked the investor, stating that it’s pertinent for the future of civilization to have free speech.

Another TSLA stockholder, who worked at Tesla’s sales department, asked if FSD could be bundled with other services to make it more attractive to consumers. Musk noted that FSD free trials should help. “I think we can keep offering people free trials of FSD every time we make a significant improvement,” Musk said.

A TSLA shareholder mentioned Musk’s 2018 CEO Performance Award. Musk stated that it’s important to note that his compensation plan is actually in the form of stock that he would not be able to sell for years. When asked about FSD’s safety, Musk noted that as long as the system is making roads safer, then the company is doing the right thing.

17:00 CT – Musk noted that Tesla is no longer compute-constrained. He noted that interventions are so rare nowadays that Tesla’s professional drivers get bored on the job.

Musk discusses the progress of Optimus, which has seen incredible progress over the years. He reiterated Tesla’s target for limited production next year, and that there might be thousands of Optimus robots working at the electric vehicle maker next year. “My prediction is we’ll have over 1,000, maybe a few thousand Optimus robots working at our factories next year.,” Musk said.

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He teases some key improvements to Optimus, such as its upcoming update that would give the humanoid robot hands with 22 degrees of freedom. As per Musk, Optimus should be able to play the piano with such hands, and that even the most optimistic outlook on Optimus would be conservative. “I think Optimus is a $25 trillion dollar market cap situation; It’s an immense amount of work to get there, but we’re moving very fast down that road,” he said.

16:50 CT – Elon Musk noted that Tesla has completed the design of its Hardware 5 computer, which the company is calling “AI 5.” He noted that so far, everything that consumers are seeing right now is just Tesla’s Hardware 3, which is not even maxed out yet. “We still have a long way to go to reach the limits of Hardware 3,” Musk said.

He noted that Hardware 4 is 3 times to 8 times better than Hardware 3, and Hardware 5 will be 10 times better than Hardware 4. Hardware 5 is expected to be rolled out in about 18 months. Musk shared some exciting updates for Hardware 4. “Later this year we will release a Hardware 4 specific model trained at Gigafactory Texas,” he said.

“AI Hardware 5 will be able to go up to 700 or 800 watts at peak load,” Musk stated.

16:45 CT – Musk noted that Tesla Energy is tracking for 200-300% growth. “We’re tracking for a 200-300% YoY growth for energy storage deployment in 2024,” Musk said. He noted that the Tesla Powerwall 3 is a game-changing product, and Megapack 3, which will be coming in a couple of years, will be the same. Musk noted that Megapack 3 would be optimized for easy and seamless installation.

He highlighted that Tesla is definitely more than a car company. “We do a lot of software at Tesla,” Musk said. “Car companies are not software companies,” Musk noted, adding that Tesla is actually ahead on real-world AI than any other company.

16:40 CT – Musk mentioned some of Tesla’s future products. He noted that while some of these projects may seem underwhelming at first, they would be game-changing in the long run.

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He also highlighted that Tesla’s Supercharger Network is still growing, though the company will be more careful about where it places its charging stations. “Rumors of the death of the Supercharger Network are greatly exaggerated,” Musk said, reiterating that Tesla will be spending half a billion into the expansion of the Supercharger Network this year.

“We will be deploying more Superchargers this year than the rest of the industry combined,” Musk said.

The CEO noted that Tesla is making good progress in its 4680 battery cell program. As per Musk, every Cybertruck on the road is equipped with 4680 cells. He did, however, also admit that the 4680 program has been very challenging.

16:35 CT – Elon Musk noted that Tesla Cybertruck production has reached a record of 1,300 per week, with a target to hit 2,500 per week by the end of 2024. He also noted that while the Cybertruck is divisive, it is a vehicle that resonates with people, even kids. Musk noted that if you would like to get an honest opinion about something, kids will definitely give it. And so far, kids love the Cybertruck. 16:50 CT –

The CEO also gave some praise to the reengineered Model 3, which is a “great, great car.” He reiterated the Model Y’s accomplishment of becoming the world’s best-selling car. Musk predicted that the Model Y will be 2024’s best-selling car by volume again.

He also noted that last week, he approved the plans for the volume production of the Tesla Semi. Musk stated that the Tesla Semi will eventually just make sense for businesses because it saves operators so much money.

16:30 CT – Musk noted that he would be starting his presentation. He also joked that Tesla may need to place a word limit on TSLA shareholder proposals, to much applause from the audience.

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He highlighted that Tesla’s impact is accelerating. He noted that Tesla’s factories are beautiful. “People are smiling at the factories. People are smiling and happy. It’s nice,” Musk noted. “We actually do care a lot about doing the right thing. We’re not perfect, but we care a lot about doing the right thing,” Musk said.

Musk also mentioned how Tesla’s batteries are lasting longer, and the company’s vehicles are getting more affordable. He noted that Tesla is still number one in EVs last year. He also personally thanked Tesla’s Fremont team.

16:25 CT – The CEO discusses the potential of Optimus, which he noted will probably be something that everyone would like to have. “Who doesn’t want a C3PO?” Musk joked, referencing the iconic Star Wars character.

Musk noted that Tesla could make Optimus at scale for $10,000. At $20,000 a unit, Tesla could make a trillion dollars in profit per year. That’s an incredible valuation based on Optimus alone. “When I say we’re starting a new book, it’s gonna be the best book. It’s next level — next, next level,” Musk said.

16:20 CT – Musk discusses Tesla’s robotaxi model. He noted that some vehicles in the fleet will be owned by Tesla while others will be owned by customers. This should give Tesla owners completely control over when their vehicles will be used as part of the robotaxi network.

Musk admits that he tends to be overly optimistic. “If I’m not optimistic, this factory would not exist,” Musk joked. “I’ve been pathologically optimistic from birth. But this is the reason why every one of these is happening. But, I do deliver in the end. That’s what’s important,” Musk said.

Musk also advised that Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest has the most accurate take on Tesla’s potential in the future.

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16:15 CT – Elon Musk enters the stage to much applause from the attending Tesla shareholders. The CEO seems to be in high spirits, as he quite literally jumped for joy as he took the stage. Musk seems very pleased with the current results of the shareholders’ vote.

“I just want to say, ‘Hot damn, I love you guys!’ We have the most shareholder base of any public company. It’s incredible,” Musk said.

He also highlighted that Tesla is about to see some incredible changes. “We’re not just opening a new chapter for Tesla. We’re starting a new book.”

16:12 CT – The meeting has now closed. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is taking the stage. He enters with a video highlighting how Tesla effectively made the impossible possible. This is quite unique.

Tesla is taking a victory lap — which the company, its executives, and its shareholders have completely earned.

16:10 CT – The Tesla 2024 Annual Stockholders Meeting voting has commenced. For context, here are the proposals that TSLA investors are voting on this year, as well as the results of the shareholders’ vote.

Following are the results of TSLA shareholders’ vote.

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TESLA PROPOSALS

  1. A Tesla proposal to elect two Class II directors to serve for a term of three years, or until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified (“Proposal One”). – Board Recommendation: “FOR”Vote Results: “FOR”
  2. A Tesla proposal to approve executive compensation on a non-binding advisory basis (“Proposal Two”). – Board Recommendation: “FOR”Vote Results: “FOR”
  3. A Tesla proposal to approve the redomestication of Tesla from Delaware to Texas by conversion (“Proposal Three”). – Board Recommendation: “FOR”Vote Results: “FOR”
  4. A Tesla proposal to ratify the 100% performance-based stock option award to Elon Musk that was proposed to and approved by our stockholders in 2018 (“Proposal Four”). – Board Recommendation: “FOR”Vote Results: “FOR”
  5. A Tesla proposal to ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Tesla’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 (“Proposal Five”). – Board Recommendation: “FOR”Vote Results: “FOR”

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS

  1. A stockholder proposal regarding the reduction of director terms to one year, if properly presented (“Proposal Six”). – Board Recommendation: “AGAINST”Vote Results: “FOR”
  2. A stockholder proposal regarding simple majority voting provisions in our governing documents, if properly presented (“Proposal Seven”). – Board Recommendation: “AGAINST”Vote Results: “FOR”
  3. A stockholder proposal regarding annual reporting on anti-harassment and discrimination efforts, if properly presented (“Proposal Eight”). – Board Recommendation: “AGAINST”Vote Results: “AGAINST”
  4. A stockholder proposal regarding the adoption of a freedom of association and collective bargaining policy, if properly presented (“Proposal Nine”). – Board Recommendation: “AGAINST”Vote Results: “AGAINST”
  5. A stockholder proposal regarding reporting on effects and risks associated with electromagnetic radiation and wireless technologies, if properly presented (“Proposal Ten”). – Board Recommendation: “AGAINST”Vote Results: “AGAINST”
  6. A stockholder proposal regarding adopting targets and reporting on metrics to assess the feasibility of integrating sustainability metrics into senior executive compensation plans, if properly presented (“Proposal Eleven”). – Board Recommendation: “AGAINST”Vote Results: “AGAINST”
  7. A stockholder proposal regarding committing to a moratorium on sourcing minerals from deep sea mining, if properly presented (“Proposal Twelve”). – Board Recommendation: “AGAINST”Vote Results: “AGAINST”

15:40 CT – Denholm welcomes Tesla shareholders to the company’s home in Texas. “No other company in the world has as diverse, engaged, and supportive shareholders as Tesla,” Denholm said.

She also mentions a number of highlights from Tesla’s past year, such as the Model Y becoming the world’s best-selling car, the first deliveries of the Cybertruck, and the rapid growth of Tesla Energy. She also mentions the launch of FSD (Supervised), as well as the company’s efforts on its next-generation projects.

The Board Chair further highlighted that Tesla is focused on operating as sustainably as possible. “We are working to build a battery recycling material ecosystem, both internally and with others,” Denholm said, adding that Tesla supported the recovery of enough battery materials to produce thousands of Model Y RWD units.

Denholm also emphasized that the Tesla Board is listening to shareholders and that the company’s leadership sets higher standards for itself. “You don’t see the day to day work of directors, but I can assure you, this is a highly-engaged Board,” she said.

15:32 CT – Tesla’s livestream for the 2024 Cyber Roundup has gone live! Introductions are underway. Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm is giving the opening remarks, to much applause.

15:23 CT – Tesla Chair of the Board Robyn Denholm could be seen giving a hug to Tesla retail shareholder Alexandra Merz, who played a huge part in organizing a successful grassroots effort to encourage thousands of TSLA investors to vote on the ratification of Elon Musk’s 2018 CEO Performance Award and the proposed redomestication of Tesla from Delaware to Texas.

15:20 CT – Tesla’s displays at Giga Texas during these events are always great. Standouts of this year include the Tesla Model S Plaid that took on the Nürburgring and a Tesla Model Y with front and rear megacasts. Oh, and the banner that retail shareholders brought and signed is very interesting as well. 

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15:15 CT – We are the heels of what could possibly be the most high-stakes Tesla shareholder meeting to date. In the weeks leading up to today, there were serious doubts that TSLA investors would not vote to ratify Elon Musk’s 2018 CEO Performance Award and Tesla’s proposed redomestication in Texas. These doubts seem to have completely disappeared. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk

SpaceX’s next trillion dollar bet has nothing to do with rockets, Musk tells staff

Elon Musk told SpaceX staff AI revenue will soon dwarf rockets and Starlink combined entirely.

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Elon Musk told SpaceX employees this week that artificial intelligence, not rockets, will soon carry the company’s revenue. In a roughly 29 minute internal address posted on SpaceX’s X account on Tuesday, Musk said AI revenue will pass every other line of business at SpaceX “probably in September” and pull further ahead by the fourth quarter.

The numbers he gave are specific. SpaceX currently runs 1.4 gigawatts of AI compute capacity. Musk wants that at 10 gigawatts by the end of 2027, a jump he tied directly to revenue: “if we bring 10GW of AI online by the end of next year, it will be $300 billion to $500 billion a year in revenue.” He called those “big numbers,” which undersells a projection larger than what most countries produce in a year.

Musk went further on where AI fits into SpaceX’s future. “Probably in four or five years, AI will be 99% of the value of SpaceX,” he told staff, adding that digital intelligence would eventually run “a trillion times” ahead of biological intelligence as computing scales. He tied that growth to the company’s founding mission, telling employees “we must win on AI, because the future is overwhelmingly AI and robots,” with the payoff meant to help fund Starship and a Mars program that increasingly runs through Terafab, the joint Tesla, SpaceX and xAI chip plant.

Elon Musk launches TERAFAB: The $25B Tesla-SpaceXAI chip factory that will rewire the AI industry

None of this is entirely new territory. SpaceX told investors much the same story during its first earnings call as a public company on August 4, where Musk moved the company’s $1 trillion revenue target up a year to 2030 and said Starlink could someday carry a majority of the world’s internet. What the all hands video adds is a hard deadline and a specific power figure Musk had not given publicly before, along with a franker pitch to his own workforce that AI, not launch cadence, is now the thing SpaceX is betting its future on.

The AI revenue itself is not coming from SpaceX training its own models. It is largely Starlink acting as the network layer for xAI’s workloads, plus SpaceX renting out compute capacity directly, the same approach behind the roughly $16 billion the company spent on AI infrastructure in a single quarter.

Musk closed the video with a pitch aimed at recruiting and retention rather than investors, telling employees that anyone who helps SpaceX win the AI race will eventually get the chance to go to the moon or Mars themselves. Whether SpaceX can turn 1.4 gigawatts into 10 in seventeen months is the more immediate question, and one that will show up in quarterly numbers well before anyone leaves Earth.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla has one big financial question to answer for investors: Morgan Stanley

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Credit: Tesla

In a new note to investors on Tuesday, Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Percoco said that Tesla has one big financial question to answer for investors regarding its Robotaxi rollout, Full Self-Driving software, and Optimus.

Percoco said in the note that, for the most part, investors are still very positive about the direction the company is headed. However, there are some things the firm would like to see, and they have to do with financials.

Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2026 earnings results: miss on EPS, beat on revenue

Tesla bulls are more than convinced that the company’s Full Self-Driving software is proof it can develop physical AI. Financially, however, there are still some questions, especially on elevated spending, which CEO Elon Musk said would occur as the company works to roll out Robotaxi faster and continue developing its Optimus robot.

The latter two are where Tesla will have to prove progress to investors, as Percoco writes that both projects “will require clearer evidence that Robotaxi is scaling and more tangible Optimus proof points to support the ROI on elevated capex.”

Percoco said the second quarter earnings call did not change his long-term thesis of where Tesla is positioned in the AI race, which is out in front. However, there are concerns that weaker gross margins and higher R&D spend will stress financials, and that has “sharpened our (and investors’) focus on measurable progress across Robotaxi and Optimus.”

Additionally, Robotaxi still needs to be proven with more operation in existing cities while maintaining safety but improving how many rides it gives in any given time, he said. For Optimus, Percoco wrote that he is “still looking for evidence beyond commentary around SOP.”

Morgan Stanley put Percoco in charge of covering Tesla after long-time analyst Adam Jonas transitioned to the automotive side.

Currently, Morgan Stanley has a $415 price target on Tesla and a ‘Hold’ rating on the stock. It is trading at around $330 at the time of publication, which was 2:30 P.M. on the East Coast.

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Investor's Corner

SpaceX AI investment gamble will make it a big winner, firm says

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX’s massive investment in AI will make it a big winner, Argus Research said after the company’s successful earnings call last week.

The firm also upgraded shares to a Buy from Hold and set a $160 price target.

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) is currently recovering from its heavy AI infrastructure investments, as it spent nearly $16 billion in Q2 alone. The company did this primarily by monetizing high-demand GPU compute capacity at a much faster pace than traditional data center economics would suggest.

Company CFO Bret Johnsen said that SpaceX would be able to pay back anything on new deployments within a year.

There are plenty of ways the company can do this:

Leasing excess compute capacity through contracts

SpaceX has already built Colossus and Colossus II, largely for its own model training. However, much of that capacity is already rented out to third parties. It already has major deals with Anthropic, Google, and Reflection AI. These partnerships are adding billions per month to SpaceX’s spreadsheet.

SpaceX is charging Anthropic massive money for its compute

High utilization driven by industry-wide scarcity

The demand for advanced AI training and inference capacity continues to exceed what is available for use. SpaceX can fill new racks quickly after they come online, so the capital deployed converts into revenue with minimal idle time.

Additionally, management and outside observers have described the new compute capital as behaving more like a cost-of-goods-sold than traditional multi-year capex, especially because of this rapid monetization pattern.

Capacity has already scaled from ~0.4 GW a year to 1.4 GW annually by the end of Q2. There are targets of more than 2 GW by year-end.

High incremental margins on the rental business once capacity is online

GPU cloud providers often operate at strong gross margins. SpaceX can monetize capacity that was already partially built or can be added efficiently. This means that incremental EBITDA margins on the rental revenue are usually high. This accelerates cash recovery relative to the gross capital outlay.

Parallel monetization of its own AI software and applications

Beyond pure infrastructure rental, SpaceX also generates revenue from Grok through subscriptions and usage, from X through ads, data, and other related services, enterprise APIs, and the planned integration of the Cursor coding tools acquisition.

These application layers ride on the same compute infrastructure and provide additional high-margin streams that could offset build-out costs. AI-segment revenue overall rose sharply to about $2.6 billion in Q2, according to Motley Fool. This was driven primarily by the infrastructure contracts, but the software side is also partially responsible.

Efficient, large-scale deployment and vertical integration advantages

SpaceX has emphasized the rapid construction of power and cooling infrastructure and favorable cost-per-megawatt economics relative to industry benchmarks in some disclosures.

Combined with its ability to scale capacity aggressively and the fact that many contracts start generating revenue within months of capacity coming online, the effective payback compresses dramatically compared with more conventional multi-year data-center projects.

SpaceX’s dominant near-term recovery path will turn the AI clusters into a hyperscale-style compute rental business for other leading AI companies while still using a portion for internal models.

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