SpaceX starts in-house turbine blade manufacturing to boost gas-powered generator output for Elon's AI data centers — new manufacturing strategy cuts generator delays by 18 months
Turbine blades and vanes are among the most complicated turbine engine parts to build, with processes taking as long as 60 to 90 weeks. Because of this, Musk wants to bring their manufacturing in-house at SpaceX.
Electricity shortages are hindering the rapid deployment of AI data centers across the United States. To circumvent lengthy grid connection delays, numerous projects are resorting to portable natural gas turbine generators to secure the necessary power supply. Elon Musk revealed on X that SpaceX plans to manufacture turbine blades and vanes internally, aiming to cut delivery times by 18 months and enable xAI to acquire brand-new turbine generators more swiftly, rather than enduring the anticipated extended queue expected as early as 2030.
While SpaceX and Tesla continue to ramp up their solar production capacity as swiftly as feasible, natural gas will remain essential to augment and jumpstart solar power for an extended period. The bottleneck for natural gas turbine production lies in the casting of blades and vanes. Given the intricate nature of this process, SpaceX's decision to construct its own turbine blades signals a strategic move to address the escalating demand for turbine generators in data centers.
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