Elon Musk is preparing to take SpaceX public after years of resisting an initial public offering, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal. The company has long maintained it would not pursue an IPO until it had established a presence on Mars — a milestone still far in the future.

Industry insiders say the shift is tied to Musk’s growing interest in building AI data centers in space, a concept gaining traction among major tech players. Google recently announced plans to test a space‑based data center as early as 2027. Musk is reportedly eager to outpace competitors, but such an undertaking would require billions in new capital, making an IPO an attractive option.

Sources told the Journal that Musk hopes to complete the offering by July, with SpaceX expected to select banks to lead the process in the coming weeks.

The move is also seen as a potential boost for xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence company, which trails behind rivals such as OpenAI and Google. If SpaceX succeeds in deploying orbital data centers, xAI could benefit from preferential access to the infrastructure — a synergy made possible by Musk’s control of both companies.

SpaceX is not alone in exploring off‑planet computing. Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos has publicly endorsed the idea of shifting data centers to orbit, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has reportedly explored partnerships or acquisitions involving rocket manufacturer Stoke Space to support similar ambitions.

Despite the growing interest, experts note that building data centers in space presents enormous technical challenges. Latency, heat dissipation, radiation exposure, and the logistics of assembling large structures in orbit remain significant hurdles.