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SpaceX posts $4.4 billion profit on AI surge as Musk targets 13 gigawatts of compute

SpaceX beat third-quarter 2026 earnings expectations with $14.58 billion in revenue and a $4.4 billion net profit driven by its Super Intelligence unit, while Elon Musk outlined ambitious plans to scale company AI compute to at least 13 gigawatts by late 2027.

A bar chart showing SpaceX revenue by category across quarters, displaying major growth in AI revenue alongside Connectivity and Space segments.
Image: @StockMKTNewz

SpaceX reported third-quarter 2026 results that surpassed Wall Street projections, posting $14.58 billion in revenue—a 161% jump from the prior year—against estimates near $12.7 billion to $12.9 billion. The company delivered adjusted earnings per share of $0.35, beating forecasts around $0.13 to $0.16, alongside an adjusted EBITDA of $8.81 billion. GAAP net income swung to $4.40 billion from a net loss of more than $1 billion in the year-ago quarter, marking SpaceX's first profitable quarter as a public company according to Bloomberg and Teslarati.[1][2][3][5][7][8][9]

Growth was led by the Super Intelligence division, where revenue climbed 830% year over year to $7.56 billion, overtaking satellite connectivity as the company's largest business unit. Connectivity revenue rose 69% to $5.25 billion as Starlink subscribers climbed to 13.6 million, while rocket launch space revenue reached $1.77 billion. Capital expenditures totaled $19.59 billion, largely directed toward data center infrastructure. The company also completed its first revenue-generating Starship flight, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites, and reported nameplate compute reached 1.7 gigawatts.[1][4][5][9][12]

During an investor call, Chief Executive Elon Musk stated that SpaceX is deploying approximately 200,000 Nvidia GB300 GPUs per month through the end of 2026, aiming to have 2.5 to 3 GW of operational compute by year-end. Musk expressed high confidence in adding 10 GW in 2027 to reach at least 13 GW by the end of that year, alongside a 440,000-GPU Nvidia Vera Rubin cluster scheduled for operation by the end of the second quarter of 2027.[6][10][11][13][14]

Key facts

  • SpaceX reported Q3 2026 revenue of $14.58 billion, up 161% year over year, beating analyst expectations of $12.7 billion to $12.9 billion.
  • SpaceX posted net income of $4.40 billion and an adjusted EPS of $0.35, swinging from a net loss exceeding $1 billion a year earlier.
  • Super Intelligence revenue expanded 830% year over year to $7.56 billion, becoming SpaceX's largest revenue contributor.
  • Connectivity segment revenue rose 69% to $5.25 billion, supported by 13.6 million Starlink consumer subscribers.
  • Q3 capital expenditures were $19.59 billion, driven primarily by data center and AI infrastructure investments.
  • SpaceX successfully launched its first revenue-generating Starship mission, putting 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit.
  • Elon Musk stated SpaceX expects 2.5 to 3 GW of compute online by the end of 2026, targeting at least 13 GW by the end of 2027.
  • Musk said SpaceX plans to activate a 440,000-GPU Nvidia Vera Rubin training cluster by the end of the second quarter of 2027.

Sources · 10 sources

  1. TE

    TESLARATI@TeslaratiPost on X ·

    🚨 SpaceX just reported earnings! Here are some highlights: Financial: Revenue $14.58B (+161% YoY) vs. consensus ~$12.7–12.9B Adjusted EBITDA $8.8B (+306% YoY) GAAP net income $4.4B (vs. prior-year loss; first solidly profitable quarter post-IPO) Adjusted EPS ~$0.35 vs. ~$0.13–0.16 expected Segments: Super Intelligence (SI, formerly AI): $7.56B (+830% YoY) — now the largest segment, driven by cloud contracts, Cursor, and Grok. Connectivity (Starlink): $5.25B (+69% YoY). Space: $1.77B. Other highlights: Starlink subscribers: 13.6M (+89% YoY). Nameplate compute: 1.7 GW. Capex: $19.6B (majority AI infrastructure). Cash & marketable securities: ~$90B. First revenue-generating Starship mission (26 V3 Starlink satellites, ~10× Falcon 9 downlink capacity per launch).

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  2. BL

    Bloomberg@businessPost on X ·

    🟡 SpaceX reports first quarterly profit as a public company in the third quarter 🟡 Net income, revenue outpace estimates while AI spending trails expectations Follow our live blog for updates ⤵️ https://t.co/SCeNgBjdPe

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  3. BM

    Brew Markets@brewmarketsPost on X ·

    SpaceX earnings: Revenue: $14.58B vs $12.72B expected EPS: $0.35 vs $0.15 expected https://t.co/QHiOnCPFi2

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  4. TE

    TechmemeArticle ·

    SpaceX reports Q3 capex of $19.6B, up from $6.9B a year earlier, and Q3 connectivity revenue, which includes Starlink, up 69% YoY to $5.2B (Becky Peterson/Wall Street Journal) Becky Peterson / Wall Street Journal : SpaceX reports Q3 capex of $19.6B, up from $6.9B a year earlier, and Q3 connectivity revenue, which includes Starlink, up 69% YoY to $5.2B — Artificial intelligence revenue surges around 830% while capital spending on data center build-out and developing new technology continues

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  5. WS

    Wall St Engine@wallstenginePost on X ·

    SPACEX $SPCX Q3’26 EARNINGS HIGHLIGHTS 🔹 Revenue: $14.6B; +161% YoY 🔹 EPS: $0.35 🔹 Net Income: $4.4B 🔹 Adjusted EBITDA: $8.8B; +306% YoY Capital Expenditures: 🔹 Total: $19.6B 🔹 Operating Cash Flow: $13.1B Segment Revenue: 🔹 Space: $1.8B; +6% YoY 🔹 Connectivity: $5.2B; +69% YoY 🔹 SI: $7.6B; +830% YoY Announcements: 🔹 First revenue-generating Starship mission successfully launched 🔹 Starbase, Louisiana next-generation spaceport planned 🔹 Grok Bot introduced as an always-on agentic SI system Other Q3 Metrics: 🔹 Starlink Consumer Subscribers: 13.6M

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  6. WS

    Wall St Engine@wallstenginePost on X ·

    ELON MUSK TARGETS 13 GW OF AI COMPUTE BY 2027, WITH 440,000 NVIDIA VERA RUBIN GPUS IN A SINGLE TRAINING CLUSTER Musk says SpaceX is on track to bring roughly 200,000 $NVDA GB300 GPUs online per month for the remainder of 2026, with deployments continuing at a similar pace next year, primarily using Vera Rubin. The company expects to have 2.5-3 GW of compute online by the end of 2026, with another 10 GW potentially coming online in 2027. Musk also plans to have a 440,000-GPU Vera Rubin training cluster operational by the end of Q2 2027. To support the expansion, SpaceX is targeting an additional 20 GW of power and cooling infrastructure next year. Musk said there is a “non-zero possibility” of exceeding 20 GW of operational AI compute in 2027, although he acknowledged the probability remains small.

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  7. FT

    Financial Times@FTPost on X ·

    Breaking news: Elon Musk's rocket-to-AI conglomerate swung to a net proft of $4.4bn in the three months to the end of September, far above Wall Street expectations of about $2bn. https://t.co/ag0YUkwXHF https://t.co/NtJJzteCZ4

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  8. TE

    TechmemeArticle ·

    SpaceX reports Q3 revenue up 161% YoY to $14.58B, vs. $12.72B est., AI revenue up 830% to $7.56B, and AI operating income of $431M, up from a loss of $1.7B (Lora Kolodny/CNBC) Lora Kolodny / CNBC : SpaceX reports Q3 revenue up 161% YoY to $14.58B, vs. $12.72B est., AI revenue up 830% to $7.56B, and AI operating income of $431M, up from a loss of $1.7B — SpaceX reported 161% revenue growth for the third quarter, driven by the company's artificial intelligence business and Starlink Subscriber growth.

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  9. WS

    Wall St Engine@wallstenginePost on X ·

    SPACEX $SPCX Q3’26 EARNINGS HIGHLIGHTS 🔹 Revenue: $14.58B (Est. $12.87B) 🟢; +161% YoY 🔹 EPS: $0.35; vs -$0.36 LY 🔹 Operating Income: $2.79B (Est. $2.24B) 🟢 🔹 Adj. EBITDA: $8.81B (Est. $6.59B) 🟢; +306% YoY 🔹 Net Income: $4.40B; vs -$1.05B LY CapEx: 🔹 Total CapEx: $19.59B (Est. $19.6B) 🟡 🔹 SI: $16.44B; +245% YoY 🔹 Space: $1.61B; +44% YoY 🔹 Connectivity: $1.54B; +53% YoY Segment Revenue: 🔹 Space: $1.77B (Est. $1.43B) 🟢; +6% YoY 🔹 Connectivity: $5.25B (Est. $4.86B) 🟢; +69% YoY 🔹 SI: $7.56B; +830% YoY Segment Operating Income: 🔹 Space: -$7M; vs $259M LY 🔹 Connectivity: $2.37B (Est. $1.86B) 🟢; +99% YoY 🔹 SI: $431M; vs -$1.72B LY Segment Adj. EBITDA: 🔹 Space: $357M (Est. $123.1M) 🟢; -47% YoY 🔹 Connectivity: $3.50B (Est. $2.94B) 🟢; +82% YoY 🔹 SI: $4.95B; vs -$428M LY Announcements: 🔸 First revenue-generating Starship mission delivered 26 Starlink V3 satellites, ~10x the downlink capacity added by a Falcon 9 Starlink launch 🔸 Planned Starbase, Louisiana spaceport for thousands of Starship flights a year, first launch targeted for 2029 🔸 Introduced Grok Bot, an always-on agentic SI system Other Q3 Metrics: 🔹 Total Launches: 35 (Est. 41) 🔴; vs 44 LY 🔹 Mass to Orbit: 476 MT (Est. 559 MT) 🔴 🔹 Starlink Subscribers: 13.6M; +89% YoY 🔹 Starlink ARPU: $69/mo; vs $83 LY 🔹 Nameplate Compute: 1.7 GW 🔹 Cash & Equivalents: $51.29B 🔹 Marketable Securities: $38.56B Key Updates: 🔸 Added $6.7B of incremental SI solutions and infrastructure revenue YoY, driven by cloud services agreements, the acquisition of Cursor and SI models and software applications Comments: 🔸 CFO: Revenue grew an impressive 161% year-over-year, fueled by continued momentum in Connectivity and a clear inflection in our Super Intelligence business

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  10. TR

    TrendSpider@TrendSpiderPost on X ·

    NVIDIA $NVDA STOCK SURGES IN AFTER-HOURS AS ELON MUSK SAYS SPACEX ON TRACK TO BRING ~200,000 NVIDIA GB300 GPUs ONLINE PER MONTH THROUGH END OF 2026 https://t.co/xv9AOfYCE2

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  11. CB

    Crypto BriefingArticle ·

    Musk projects at least 13 gigawatts of AI compute by end of next year Musk's AI compute expansion could significantly boost AI capabilities, impacting tech industries and infrastructure demands globally. The post Musk projects at least 13 gigawatts of AI compute by end of next year appeared first on Crypto Briefing .

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  12. CB

    Crypto Briefing@Crypto_BriefingPost on X ·

    🚀JUST IN: $SPCX reports $14.6B in Q3 revenue, up 161% from a year earlier, beating Wall Street expectations. Net income reached $4.4B, while its AI division generated $7.56B in revenue, up 830%, surpassing Starlink as the company's largest business. https://t.co/xoxMRYF4Cn

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  13. SB

    Shay Boloor@StockSavvyShayPost on X ·

    $NVDA is surging after hours as Elon Musk says $SPCX is on track to bring ~200K GB300 GPUs online every month through year-end. That's ~600K GPUs in Q4 from SpaceX alone with another 440K-GPU Vera Rubin cluster planned by mid-2027. https://t.co/RqqJ5lljHN

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  14. TR

    TrendSpider@TrendSpiderPost on X ·

    ELON MUSK: "I FEEL HIGHLY CONFIDENT OF 10 GIGAWATTS INCREMENTAL NEXT YEAR. THE PROBABILITY OF ACHIEVING OVER 20 GIGAWATTS IS RISING RAPIDLY." $SPCX https://t.co/R5Bz1cEtLV

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