SpaceX plans to invest about $50 billion in a supercomputing campus in Arizona, using a dry cooling system designed to reduce the facility’s reliance on water. The project is part of a broader expansion worth more than $74 billion in Arizona and Texas as the company expands its computing infrastructure.
The proposed Cochise County campus would use air-based cooling instead of traditional water-intensive systems. SpaceX also said it does not plan to use industrial groundwater for the facility, an important distinction for a project planned in an arid region where water availability is a major concern.
Dry cooling limits water consumption
SpaceX said the Arizona factory is expected to create around 5,500 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent positions. The company also works with local electric cooperatives to provide power to the campus.
SpaceX said the development could reduce electricity bills for cooperative members by up to 20 percent. The project would require significant energy infrastructure. The plans call for a campus with nine computing buildings and a capacity of up to 6 gigawatts when fully developed.
However, the development has not yet been approved. SpaceX needs approval from Cochise County, where the proposal has faced opposition from some residents. A petition with about 2,400 signatures urged county officials to reject the project. A public hearing is scheduled for December.
Texas brings water investments
The Arizona campus is part of SpaceX’s planned expansion. The company also announced an investment of more than $24 billion in a supercomputing facility at its Starbase site in Texas.
In contrast to the project in Arizona, the plant in Texas is intended to generate its own electricity and not draw electricity from the public grid. A separate public filing describes a planned 750-megawatt natural gas power plant next to the computer campus. The gas power plant remains a proposal and should not be confused with SpaceX’s supercomputing facility announcement.
Texas development has also brought a major commitment to water infrastructure for nearby Brownsville. SpaceX has committed up to $220 million to water and wastewater projects in the city and Cameron County, with an initial $40 million set aside as part of the agreement.
The company said the investment would support projects that could add 20 million gallons of water capacity per day. However, Brownsville’s approved plans call for two projects expected to add about 18 million gallons per day: a drinking water reuse system with a capacity of 8 million gallons per day and a 10 million gallon per day expansion of the Southmost Regional Water Authority facility.
The agreement does not give SpaceX ownership of the water infrastructure or reserved capacity in the system. The projects are intended to strengthen the region’s water supply as Brownsville and surrounding communities continue to grow.
Together, the two sites represent a significant expansion of SpaceX’s computing ambitions, with the Arizona project highlighting an approach to reducing industrial water demand and the Texas project combining dedicated power generation with a significant regional water investment.
