STMicroelectronics NV (NYSE:STM) just found itself in the middle of two of the most expensive battles in tech: Elon Musk's race to the Moon and Jeff Bezos' push to dominate AI. In a world where the two billionaires agree on almost nothing, they've converged on the same supplier — turning STM into the ultimate neutral arms dealer of the new space-and-AI era.
SpaceX's Quiet Decade Bet
While Wall Street fixates on rockets, STM has been doing the unglamorous work that makes Starlink actually function.
The company has now shipped more than 5 billion chips to SpaceX over a 10-year partnership — a scale few suppliers ever achieve in aerospace.
As Musk shifts to a faster, 10-day lunar launch loop, the demand for reliable, power-efficient, radiation-tolerant electronics only rises.
STM isn't just a vendor; it's embedded in SpaceX's operating system.
Amazon Pulls STM Into The AI wars
Then came the surprise jolt from Seattle. On Feb. 9, Amazon's AWS inked a multi-billion-dollar deal with STM — including warrants that could give Amazon nearly a 3% stake in the company.
This isn't a routine chip contract. It's an equity-linked partnership aimed at securing supply for hyperscale AI data centers, where efficiency and cost control are as critical as raw performance.
From ‘Auto Laggard' To Strategic Linchpin
STM is often pigeonholed as an automotive chipmaker. That narrative looks outdated fast.
The same manufacturing muscle that serves carmakers is now powering satellites in orbit and AI brains on Earth. Markets seemed to get the memo: STM jumped over 9% in Monday's pre-market after the Amazon news.
For investors, this is the rare crossover play — one company feeding both Musk's Moon ambition and Bezos' AI buildout. Space might capture headlines, but STM could capture the returns.
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