According to contract documents obtained by CNBC on June 22, SpaceX and open-source AI startup Reflection AI have signed a compute leasing agreement; starting in July, Reflection AI will pay SpaceX $150 million per month to access Nvidia GB300 chips, and if the contract is carried out through the end of 2029, the total amount will reach $6.3 billion.
Key Contract Terms: Monthly Fee, Compute Resources, and Termination Mechanism
According to the contract documents obtained by CNBC, the specific terms of the compute agreement between SpaceX and Reflection AI are as follows:
Monthly fee: $150 million, starting July 1, 2026
Compute resources: Nvidia GB300 top-tier chips in the Colossus 2 data center, dedicated to training and running advanced AI models
Contract cap: If executed through the end of 2029, the total amount reaches $6.3 billion (a conditional total, not a guaranteed amount)
Termination clause: After the first three months of contract execution, both parties may terminate with 90 days’ advance notice
SpaceX’s Compute Commercialization: Colossus From Self-Use to External Leasing
The Colossus data center (Memphis, Tennessee) was originally built to support xAI’s Grok chatbot; as Colossus 2 is expanded to a total scale of about 1 gigawatt, SpaceX has decided to lease excess capacity externally, and it has already signed compute agreements with multiple parties.
In addition to Reflection AI, SpaceX’s compute leasing customers also include Anthropic, Google, and the startup Cursor; the report also notes that SpaceX is working on acquiring Cursor, but this information is from media reports, and there is no official statement from SpaceX.
Against the backdrop of tight supply in the market for top-tier chips such as Nvidia GB300, SpaceX’s compute rental business represents a new type of commercial revenue for it beyond rocket launches and Starlink; it is also a new growth direction it is showing to investors after completing its largest IPO in history.
Reflection AI’s Open-Source Positioning and Disclosure of Government Cooperation
Reflection AI’s stated public stance is open-source AI, which differs from the company strategies of firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic that adopt closed-model approaches. In its spokesperson’s remarks at the time of the contract announcement, it said: “Recent events underscore the absolute importance of open source to the AI ecosystem. Countries and companies are increasingly recognizing that relying entirely on closed models will come with enormous risks and costs.” The “recent events” referenced here were that Anthropic previously restricted access to its Fable and Mythos models.
On government cooperation, Reflection AI disclosed that it has begun collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission and the Pentagon’s military AI program. The above cooperation information was disclosed by Reflection AI; there is no independent statement from any government agency.
FAQ
Is SpaceX’s $6.3 billion contract amount already guaranteed?
No. $6.3 billion is the conditional total if the contract runs through the end of 2029. The agreement includes termination provisions: after the first three months, both parties can terminate with 90 days’ advance notice, so the actual total depends on how long the contract continues.
How does SpaceX’s Colossus data center differ from other cloud providers?
According to reports, SpaceX’s Colossus and Colossus 2 data centers are equipped with top-tier compute such as Nvidia GB300, with a combined scale of about 1 gigawatt, and they were originally facilities built for xAI’s in-house use. Against the backdrop of tight supply in the high-end chip market, SpaceX’s compute resources are directly attractive to AI companies such as Reflection AI and Anthropic.
Is Reflection AI’s partnership with the government independently verified?
Based on existing reporting, the cooperation relationship between the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission and the Pentagon’s military AI program has only been seen in disclosures by Reflection AI so far; there are no independent statements from government agencies or publicly cited official contract documents.
