Isn't this to rent the datacenters though? That's not really long term revenue if xAI will eventually need them back.

Renting datacenters is their mission, now on earth and later in space (assuming they deliver).

I don't know that's moving the goalpost, SpaceX's mission was not that originally. Some could say the original mission failed and they are pivoting, Elon will say it's a means to the end of the original mission still to save face. Some read it all as snake oil