SpaceX formally filed for its initial public offering (IPO) a week ago. Yet, the specifics of the partnership with the AI startup xAI, which Musk revealed on the social platform X, were conspicuously absent from the expansive 300-plus-page IPO document. This omission has sparked market concerns. Musk clarified that SpaceX has not entered into a long-term commitment to lease computing power from the Colossus data center. Instead, the partnership is set to last only 180 days, with either party able to terminate the agreement with a 90-day notice period after expiration. Contrastingly, the prospectus outlines that xAI is obligated to pay a hefty sum of $1.25 billion each month until May 2029, without any reference to a limited collaboration duration of just a few months. The stark contrast in payment terms between the two entities presents an additional hurdle for SpaceX, a company that is already burning through cash and suffering substantial losses every quarter, as it embarks on what could potentially be the largest IPO in history.
