Anthropic raises Claude Code usage limits, credits new deal with SpaceX

Anthropic has announced a significant expansion of its Claude Code usage limits following a new partnership with SpaceX, which grants Anthropic access to the full compute capacity of SpaceX’s data center in Memphis, Tennessee. The deal enables Anthropic to double the five-hour window limits for its Pro and Max plan subscribers, eliminate peak-hour usage reductions for these accounts, and increase API limits for its Opus model. This expansion is aimed at addressing the growing demand for Claude Code and related AI services among professional software developers. The partnership provides Anthropic with access to over 300 megawatts of compute power, centered around SpaceX’s Colossus 1 supercomputer, which houses more than 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs, including advanced H100, H200, and next-generation GB200 accelerators. Beyond terrestrial compute resources, Anthropic has expressed interest in collaborating with SpaceX to develop orbital data centers, potentially offering multiple gigawatts of compute capacity in space. This initiative reflects the broader challenge of meeting the escalating power, land, and cooling requirements for training and operating next-generation AI systems within terrestrial constraints. The deal marks a notable shift in relations between Anthropic and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who had previously criticized Anthropic publicly. Musk’s recent engagement with Anthropic’s leadership led to a more positive assessment of the company’s efforts to ensure Claude’s alignment with human values. This change in tone coincides with the announcement of the collaboration, highlighting the strategic importance of the partnership for both companies. Anthropic’s move comes amid surging demand for Claude Code, driven by increased adoption in professional environments and a transition toward more complex, multi-agent AI workflows. The company has faced challenges managing capacity constraints, including outages and user dissatisfaction over prior usage limits. The expanded compute access through SpaceX is expected to alleviate these issues, enabling Anthropic to better serve its growing user base and support more intensive AI applications.