The Daily Dig
SpaceX plans to invest more than $74 billion in two AI supercomputing campuses, one at their Starbase site in Texas and one in Cochise County, Arizona. The company laid out the plans in a statement on November 12, 2026.
Desert Compute
The Arizona campus is the bigger build, at roughly $50 billion. It would create about 5,500 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs, but it still needs approval from Cochise County.
SpaceX says they’re working with local electric cooperatives and that the project could cut members’ bills by up to 20%.
The campus would use dry cooling, with no planned industrial groundwater use.
Not everyone is on board yet. A petition with 2,400 signatures asks officials to deny the permit, and a county public hearing is set for December 2026.
Power Play at Starbase
The Texas campus carries a price tag of more than $24 billion. It would generate its own electricity instead of drawing from the public grid.
A recent city notice showed plans for a gas-fired power plant and supercomputing facility on about 444 acres.
The Starbase City Commission is set to consider a property tax abatement for the project on December 9, 2026.
SpaceX says the Texas project has already generated more than 3,000 construction jobs. It would support more than 500 permanent jobs once operational.
Snapshot:
Developer/Owner: SpaceX
Total Investment: More than $74 billion
Sector: AI supercomputing
Announced: November 12, 2026
Arizona Campus
Location: Cochise County, Arizona
Value: Roughly $50 billion
Status: Pending Cochise County approval
Construction Jobs: About 5,500
Permanent Jobs: About 1,000
Power: Working with local electric cooperatives
Ratepayer Impact: Cooperative members’ bills could drop by up to 20%, per SpaceX
Cooling: Dry cooling, no planned industrial groundwater use
Opposition: Petition with 2,400 signatures asking for permit denial
Next Step: County public hearing, December 2026
Texas Campus
Location: Starbase, Texas
Value: More than $24 billion
Site: About 444 acres
Power: Proposed gas-fired power plant, off the public grid
Construction Jobs: More than 3,000 generated to date, per SpaceX
Permanent Jobs: More than 500 once operational
Next Step: Property tax abatement review, December 9, 2026
Company Context
IPO: June 2026
AI Segment: More than half of company revenue in Q3 2026
TheJobWalk Thoughts
The Starbase campus would generate its own power, so this job includes a power plant alongside the compute. Turbines, transformers, and switchgear carry some of the longest lead times in the market. Projects like this depend heavily on that equipment arriving on time.
In Arizona, dry cooling shifts the mechanical scope toward systems that reject heat with air instead of water. HVAC suppliers and mechanical contractors should keep watch.
Staffing 5,500 construction jobs in rural Cochise County may outrun local labor. Check that before pricing housing and per diems, and hold resources until the county signs off.
