Key facts
- SpaceX is reassigning dozens of top Starlink and Starship engineers to focus on its Grok AI model.
- Engineers from the recently acquired AI coding startup Cursor are also working on Grok.
- SpaceX plans to release new AI models trained from scratch on a monthly basis throughout the year.
- The latest version, Grok 4.5, is currently in private beta testing at Tesla and SpaceX.
- SpaceX intends to use funds from its IPO to construct a network of up to one million orbital data centers for AI training.
SpaceX is intensifying its efforts in the artificial intelligence race by reassigning a significant number of its top Starlink and Starship engineers to bolster its Grok AI model. Elon Musk announced on X that these engineers will dedicate a substantial portion of their time to overhauling the model, aiming to accelerate its development.
In addition to SpaceX's internal resources, engineers from Cursor, an AI coding startup that SpaceX has agreed to acquire for $60 billion, are also contributing to Grok's foundation model. Cursor's training data is being utilized in this process.
Musk revealed that Grok 4.5, the latest iteration of the chatbot, is currently undergoing private beta testing within Tesla and SpaceX. He further stated that SpaceX intends to release new AI models, developed from scratch, on a monthly basis throughout the current year.
These developments follow a period of reorganization for Musk's AI ventures, including his AI startup xAI, which has faced challenges in keeping pace with competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic, particularly in coding capabilities. Musk had previously indicated that xAI was being rebuilt from the ground up.
The acquisition of Cursor, confirmed shortly after SpaceX's record-breaking IPO, grants Cursor access to SpaceX's supercomputers in exchange for assistance in training Grok. This strategic move underscores SpaceX's commitment to AI, with Musk envisioning the use of IPO funds to establish a network of up to a million orbital data centers, powered by Starlink technology and launched via Starship, to train and operate advanced AI models.
SpaceX's investor materials highlight the immense potential of the AI market, estimating its total addressable market at $28.5 trillion, with AI alone accounting for $26.5 trillion.