US futures rise as SpaceX and Super Micro Computer boost AI sentiment

US stock futures climbed on October 21, 2026, and the AI trade did most of the heavy lifting. Nasdaq futures rose approximately 0.5% after SpaceX and Super Micro Computer both delivered numbers that made AI skeptics briefly lower their eyebrows.

SpaceX posts a profit, and AI is doing a lot of the work

SpaceX reported its first profit as a public company. Third-quarter revenue came in at $14.58 billion, a 161% jump from the same period last year.

Net income landed at $4.4 billion. A year earlier, the company was sitting on a $1.1 billion loss.

SpaceX pulled in $7.6 billion from AI during the quarter, a more than ninefold increase year over year. More than half of the company’s quarterly sales now come from a business line that barely registered a year ago.

The AI division also turned an operating profit of $431 million.

SpaceX’s AI capital expenditures hit $16.4 billion in the third quarter, with expectations for that figure to keep rising. Capex ran at more than double the AI revenue it generated in the same quarter.

Super Micro raises the bar

Super Micro Computer added fuel with a preliminary outlook for the first quarter of fiscal 2027. The server maker raised its revenue forecast to between $18.5 billion and $19.5 billion, well above prior estimates.

The company also projected gross margins of 12% to 12.5%, citing strong demand for its AI platforms.

Musk adds a merger wildcard

On October 20, 2026, Musk said combining SpaceX and Tesla would be “a good idea.”

SpaceX shares rose approximately 9% following his remarks, while Tesla gained between 1.5% and 2% in premarket trading.

The ripple effect across AI stocks

Other AI-linked names, including Nvidia and AMD, moved higher after the SpaceX and Super Micro reports landed.

Not everyone joined the party. Netflix shares fell after the streamer issued weaker financial guidance.