Reflection AI secures $6.3B compute deal with SpaceX

Reflection AI, an open-weight AI startup founded in 2024, has secured a compute deal with SpaceX for access to Nvidia GB300 chips. Open-weight AI refers to AI models that publicly release their trained parameters, as opposed to closed frontier labs, which do not publicly release their model parameters. The agreement provides Reflection AI with access to the chips and supporting hardware at the Colossus 2 data center near Memphis, Tennessee. The Colossus data center infrastructure was originally built by xAI, a company founded by Elon Musk, while SpaceX now serves as the compute provider and data center operator. The contract is valued at up to $6.3 billion, with Reflection AI paying $150 million a month beginning July 1, 2026, through 2029. Either company has the option to terminate the contract with 90 days’ notice after the first three months.

The commitment is smaller than similar infrastructure agreements SpaceX has signed with other technology companies. For comparison, SpaceX has larger compute deals with Anthropic and Google. A breakdown of the monthly compute costs highlights the difference in scale:

• Anthropic: $1.25 billion per month
• Google: $920 million per month
• Reflection AI: $150 million a month

The agreement highlights a strategic shift toward open-weight AI strategies as enterprises seek alternatives to closed models. This shift has been accelerated following the U.S. government’s ban of Anthropic’s closed models, Fable and Mythos. This regulatory action has led more organizations to evaluate the risks of relying solely on closed systems. A spokesperson for Reflection AI stated, “Recent events highlight how important open source is to the AI ecosystem, with more nations and enterprises recognizing the risks and costs associated with exclusively depending on closed models”.

According to Reflection AI, the compute deal is one of the largest announced open AI infrastructure commitments to date. The company’s spokesperson explained that the partnership with SpaceX signals the startup’s strategic importance within the frontier AI ecosystem. The spokesperson added that securing more compute provides the startup with additional runway to build what it aims to be the world’s best open models at scale, positioning the company as a key player in the open-source landscape.

Why it matters

The deal represents one of the largest announced open AI infrastructure commitments to date. It highlights a strategic shift toward open-weight AI strategies as enterprises seek alternatives to closed models.