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Elon Musk founded xAI in 2023, which introduced the chatbot Grok, which rivals OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. The merger combines two of Musk's businesses to create an AI-based platform. Elon Musk’s xAI artificial intelligence firm has acquired X , the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, for $33 billion.
The entire $45 billion acquisition, which also includes $12 billion in debt, combines two of Musk’s multiple portfolio companies – X and xAI – to transform the microblogging website into an AI-integrated platform. Musk announced the transaction in a post on X, saying: “The combination values xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion ($45B less $12B debt)." Musk had acquired X (formerly Twitter) for $44 billion in 2022.
“xAI and X’s futures are intertwined. Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent. This combination will unlock immense potential by blending xAI’s advanced AI capability and expertise with X’s massive reach," Musk said on X.
What Is xAI? Musk founded his AI startup xAI in 2023 with a goal of developing cutting-edge artificial intelligence models that can compete with industry giants like OpenAI, Google and Microsoft. xAI recently raised $10 billion in a funding round that valued the company at $75 billion, as per reports. “Our approach to rapid development and iteration allows us to innovate at breakneck speeds.
We’re not interested in speed for speed’s sake—we’re here to solve real problems," the company’s website reads. “We build AI specifically to advance human comprehension and capabilities." xAI is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and comprises a team of AI experts who have previously worked on projects like GPT and Google DeepMind.
Soon after its launch, xAI introduced Grok, an AI chatbot designed to provide real-time responses and compete with models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Grok has become very popular and has been integrated with the X platform. xAI has used data from social media interactions as databases to refine Grok’s intelligence and content, further bolstering its popularity.
The growing demand for artificial intelligence has led to xAI attracting significant investment from Wall Street firms as well as semiconductor giants like Nvidia and AMD, and the latest acquisition has pushed its valuation to as high as $80 billion, signalling Musk’s position as a major player in the realm of AI. Why Is This A Significant Acquisition? The latest acquisition will merge two of Elon Musk’s biggest projects to create a powerful AI-integrated platform and solidify the power of the world’s richest man. The merger combines xAI’s technology and X’s widespread user base to possibly create more AI-driven features, benefiting millions of users across the world.
The integration of X and xAI is expected to create new opportunities by combining data, talent, and AI models to create groundbreaking innovations. Musk said the combined company will deliver “smarter, more meaningful experiences to billions of people". As competition in AI intensifies, xAI has been ramping up its data centre capacity to train more advanced models, and its supercomputer cluster in Memphis, Tennessee, called “Colossus," is touted as the largest in the world.
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