SpaceX acquired xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup, with plans to develop a massive satellite constellation to power its AI ambitions, the company announced Monday. The move aims to create a "vertically-integrated innovation engine" combining AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications, and a real-time information platform, according to SpaceX.
The acquisition values the combined entity at $1.25 trillion, potentially making it the most valuable private company in the world, Wired reported. Musk stated in a blog post that the deal was necessary because terrestrial solutions cannot meet the global electricity demand for AI. "In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale," Musk wrote, adding that space offers vast power and space resources.
In other news, Ukraine and SpaceX collaborated to combat the use of Starlink by Russian drones, Ars Technica reported. Ukraine will soon require users to register their Starlink terminals to gain access to a whitelist. According to the Ukraine Ministry of Defense, only verified and registered terminals will be allowed to operate within the country, with all others being disconnected. Ukraine Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov emphasized that this registration process is the only technical solution to counter the threat.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) used AI tools from Palantir to screen grants, grant applications, and job descriptions for noncompliance with President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting gender ideology and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Wired reported. The inventory of HHS's AI use cases in 2025 revealed that Palantir earned more than $35 million from HHS during Trump's second term.
Finally, the Department of Justice released what appeared to be its last tranche of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, according to Wired. The released documents, totaling around 3.5 million pages, revealed connections between Epstein and several figures in the Silicon Valley billionaire set. While some, like Bill Gates, had previous associations with Epstein, others, like Elon Musk, had less established connections before the release. The publication of these files was in response to the Epstein Files Transparency Act of November 19, 2025.
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