Musk merges SpaceX and xAI firms, plans for space-based AI data centres

Elon Musk's SpaceX has acquired his AI company xAI as part of an ambitious scheme to build space-based data centres to power the future of artificial intelligence. The billionaire, who is also the CEO of Tesla, announced the merger in a statement on Tuesday on the SpaceX website. AI demand will require "immense amounts of power and cooling" that are not sustainable on Earth without "imposing hardship on communities and the environment," he said. Space-based data centres that harness the power of the Sun are the only long-term solution, according to Musk. "In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale. To harness even a millionth of our Sun's energy would require over a million times more energy than our civilisation currently uses!" he wrote.