SpaceX breaks through power limitation with in-house turbine blade production

Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX is building a gas turbine blade and vane foundry in Bastrop, Texas, aiming to address the critical shortage of high-temperature alloy components for large gas turbines. These parts, essential for AI data centers' power needs, are currently produced by only three global foundries, with orders booked until 2030. Musk highlighted that producing these components in-house could accelerate turbine deployment by up to 18 months, calling it a 'game-changer'. The three foundries identified are Precision Castparts Corp., Howmet Aerospace, and Doncasters Group. These companies dominate over 70% of the global market for turbine blades, with blades operating at extreme temperatures of 1650–1980°C, significantly above the material's melting point. Musk previously warned in February that blade production was a major constraint on AI chip power availability. Additionally, SpaceX and Tesla are each constructing 100GW of solar capacity, a project expected to take three years to complete.