TSLA, SPCX Slip Overnight: Elon Musk Warns AI Production Shortfall Is ‘Insane’ As Apple Price Shock Hits Tech

• Musk warned that AI demand is far outpacing hardware production.
• Apple raised MacBook and iPad prices, citing AI data centers as the driver of surging memory and storage costs.
• Tim Cook called the cost shock a “hundred-year flood” and said Apple can’t fully shield consumers.

Shares of Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) and SpaceX (SPCX) slipped 1% overnight late Thursday as CEO Elon Musk warned that AI demand is far outpacing production, adding to concerns after Apple raised prices on key devices to offset surging memory and storage costs.

TSLA shares are down over 6% so far this week, while SPCX is down 17%. 

Musk Flags ‘Insane’ Production Shortfall 

Musk was responding to Apple CEO Tim Cook’s warning to The Wall Street Journal that the component-cost surge was unlike anything he had seen “in any area in over 40 years.”

“Biggest price jump in anything I’ve ever seen, too,” Musk said on X. In a separate post, he added: “The production shortfall relative to demand is insane. MUCH higher production is needed.” The comments come after Apple raised prices on Thursday across several MacBook and iPad models, marking its first formal move to pass higher memory and storage costs on to consumers.

The MacBook Neo entry model rose from $599 to $699, the MacBook Air 512GB from $1,099 to $1,299 and the MacBook Pro 1TB from $1,699 to $1,999. Apple also raised the iPad Air 128GB from $599 to $749 and the iPad Pro WiFi 256GB from $999 to $1,199.

“The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge,” Apple said in a statement, blaming “the rapid expansion of AI data centers” for an “extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage.” The company added: “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly.”

Cook Calls Cost Spike ‘Hundred-Year Flood’ 

Cook said Apple could no longer fully shield consumers from the cost spike. “This is a hundred-year flood,” Cook told WSJ. “I’ve never seen anything like it in any area in over 40 years.”

The warning underscored how the AI boom has become a physical infrastructure race. Data centers require chips, memory, storage, cooling systems, power equipment, fiber-optic cables and backup generators, which are many of the same components used across consumer electronics, vehicles and industrial systems.

Capital spending by Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Oracle is expected to hit $741 billion this year, up 75% from last year. The AI infrastructure boom could cost nearly $8 trillion by 2032. 

AI Hardware Costs Hit Musk Companies 

Musk’s comments come as Tesla, SpaceX and xAI are exposed to the same supply chain now pressuring Apple. Tesla depends on large-scale AI infrastructure for Full Self-Driving (FSD), robotaxis, Optimus, Dojo and future AI chips. Higher costs for memory, storage and electronics could pressure both vehicle and robotics businesses.

xAI is also racing to expand Grok through massive compute clusters, including its Colossus supercomputer project, which requires GPUs, memory, cooling, power infrastructure and storage at enormous scale. Meanwhile, SpaceX relies on advanced electronics across Starlink satellites, rockets and ground systems.

How Do Retail Traders Feel About TSLA And SPCX?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for both of Musk’s listed companies was ‘bearish,’ with TSLA seeing ‘normal’ message volume and SPCX seeing ‘high’ message volume. 

So far this year, Tesla's stock has lagged its "Magnificent Seven" peers, making it the group's third-worst performer, down about 17%. 

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

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