SpaceX acquired xAI in a merger aimed at constructing space-based data centers to power artificial intelligence, the spaceflight company announced Monday. Elon Musk, CEO of both SpaceX and xAI, stated in a memo posted on the SpaceX website that the merger was driven by the need for data centers beyond Earth, according to TechCrunch.
Musk believes that current AI advancements rely heavily on terrestrial data centers, which require significant power and cooling. "Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions, even in the near term, without imposing hardship on communities and the environment," he wrote, as reported by TechCrunch. Al Jazeera also carried the news of the merger and Musk's plans.
The concept of space-based data centers has been a focus for Musk in recent months, according to TechCrunch. However, xAI has faced accusations of negatively impacting communities near its data centers in Memphis, Tennessee.
In other news from the tech world, Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, raised $16 billion in a funding round led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital, TechCrunch reported Monday. The funding will support Waymo's plans to expand its robotaxi fleet to over a dozen new cities internationally, including London and Tokyo. The funding round values Waymo at $126 billion.
Meanwhile, in the financial technology sector, Gökçe Güven, the 26-year-old CEO and founder of fintech startup Kalder, was charged last week with alleged securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft, according to TechCrunch. Güven, a Turkish national, was a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, a list that has become "more than a little notorious for the amount of entrants who go on to be charged with fraud," TechCrunch noted. Kalder, based in New York, claims to help companies create and monetize individual rewards programs.
Separately, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned against the creation of a separate EU army alongside NATO, Euronews reported Monday. Speaking at a security conference in Norway, Kallas described the idea as "extremely dangerous," arguing that it would blur chains of command in a crisis. "On the European level, we have the m," Kallas said, as reported by Euronews. She emphasized that maintaining a clear command structure should be the main priority in any military crisis.
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