STARBASE, Texas, United States | October 26, 2026 | SpaceX has secured a financing arrangement worth approximately $40 billion with an entity managed by Apollo Global Management to acquire artificial intelligence chips and related data center equipment, expanding the company’s computing infrastructure as it pursues its ambitions in artificial intelligence and space exploration.
According to the deal details reported on October 26 by financial news outlets, the Apollo-managed entity will purchase graphics processing units (GPUs) and related hardware, then lease the equipment to SpaceX. The arrangement involves approximately $40 billion in principal payments, excluding interest and other expenses.
The company expects to finalize the master finance lease by the end of 2026, subject to closing conditions. Equipment deliveries are expected in the first half of 2027, with lease payments beginning as individual batches arrive. Each lease is expected to run for slightly more than five years, with quarterly payments covering the financed principal, interest and certain additional expenses. The interest rate had not yet been determined in the reported terms.MarketScreener
The agreement comes as SpaceX sharply increases spending on computing infrastructure. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company reported approximately $48.1 billion in capital expenditures across its reportable segments for the first nine months of 2026. It attributed a substantial increase in investment spending to the construction of data centers, related infrastructure and space launch facilities.
Founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, SpaceX initially focused on reducing the cost of space transportation and developing reusable rockets. Its business has since expanded through Starlink, its satellite internet service, and investments in computing infrastructure supporting its broader technology ambitions. The new financing arrangement reflects the growing overlap between advanced computing, artificial intelligence and the company’s space-related operations.
The deal also highlights the substantial cost of securing the specialized processors needed to train and operate advanced AI systems. GPUs are essential for handling the parallel calculations required by many AI workloads, while large-scale deployments also require servers, networking equipment, electricity and data center capacity.
Although the financing provides SpaceX with a way to acquire equipment without paying the entire purchase cost upfront, the lease structure creates a multiyear payment obligation. The final financing cost will depend partly on the interest rate and other contractual expenses.
The agreement therefore represents a significant commitment to expanding SpaceX’s computing capacity, while underscoring the financial demands of competing in the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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