SpaceX acquired xAI in a merger valued at $1.25 trillion, making it the world's most valuable private company, according to a report from Wired on Monday. Elon Musk announced the acquisition, stating the combined entity would form "the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth," according to a company statement.
The merger aims to integrate AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications, and a real-time information platform, according to Musk. Ars Technica reported that Musk envisions scaling the merged company to "make a sentient sun to understand the Universe and extend the light of consciousness to the stars!"
Musk justified the acquisition by stating that terrestrial solutions would be insufficient to meet the global electricity demand for AI. "In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale," Musk wrote in a blog post, according to Wired. "The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space."
In other news from the space sector, Waymo announced a $16 billion investment round to expand its robotaxi business both in the US and internationally, according to The Verge on Monday. The funding round was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, a firm known for investing in late-stage tech companies prior to their IPOs. Waymo's co-CEOs stated they would use the funds to purchase more vehicles to grow their fleets.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and SpaceX collaborated to combat the use of Starlink by Russian drones, according to Ars Technica on Monday. Ukraine plans to block all unregistered Starlink terminals in its territory to prevent Russian military use. Ukrainians will soon be required to register their Starlink terminals to be whitelisted, and unregistered terminals will be disconnected, according to the Ukraine Ministry of Defense. Ukraine Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov emphasized that this was the only technical solution to counter the threat.
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