Elon Musk combines SpaceX and AI expert XAI: A new step in space exploration

Twice as Interesting! Elon Musk Combines Spacex with XAI, and Rival Waymo Upgrades

2026-02-06 Source: dpa | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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As has now become known, Elon Musk intends to merge his space exploration company SpaceX with AI expert XAI. Meanwhile, the robotaxi manufacturer Waymo is preparing to fill its "war chest".

Sky calculator! Elon Musk wants to tackle the energy crisis concerning computing power for artificial intelligence. To that end, he is now combining the expertise of SpaceX and XAI. At the same time, the robotaxi competitor Waymo is building a financially strong cushion for expansion on Earth ...(Image: Tesla) — Sky calculator! Elon Musk wants to tackle the energy crisis concerning computing power for artificial intelligence. To that end, he is now combining the expertise of SpaceX and XAI. At the same time, the robotaxi competitor Waymo is building a financially strong cushion for expansion on Earth ...
(Image: Tesla)

Together, the companies Spacex and XAI are now supposed to build, among other things, data centers for energy-intensive tasks that will be stationed in space, as announced by the US tech billionaire. For this, the Starship rocket is needed because it can also carry larger loads into space. Musk estimates (once again) that in two to three years, this will be the most cost-effective way to generate computing power for artificial intelligence (AI). Initially, however, the deal will enable XAI to be provided with billions from Spacex's coffers. The AI player, after all, has a high capital consumption and must compete against strong rivals – including Google and "ChatGPT" inventor "OpenAI" – to be successful. Incidentally, Spacex and, most recently, Tesla have each invested two billion dollars into XAI as part of funding rounds and received stakes in return. Spacex reportedly spent 250 billion dollars to acquire XAI, according to US media sources. However, there were no official figures released on this. The combined super company of space exploration and AI, however, is said to be valued overall at around 1.25 trillion dollars, as previously reported by financial service Bloomberg.

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Is Waymo leaving Tesla behind with a filled billion-dollar war chest?

In another high-tech race, the focus is on the market for driverless robotaxis. Currently, Google’s sister company Waymo is reportedly filling its coffers for global expansion. Waymo raised no less than 16 billion dollars (13.5 billion euros) from investors in a funding round, as emphasized. The company was valued at a total of 126 billion dollars. Things could get tight for Musk. Waymo’s robotaxis have now completed over 400,000 paid passenger rides per week without a human driver in six US cities, including Silicon Valley. Waymo is also pursuing rapid expansion in the US and has already deployed its autonomous vehicles in London and Tokyo. Altogether, Waymo robotaxis have driven roughly 204 million kilometers (approx. 150 million miles) without a human driver! In contrast, Tesla robotaxis can only be seen in Austin, Texas, and still require a safety operator. Musk is known to insist on the idea of achieving autonomous driving solely with cameras, whereas Waymo relies on additional technology, such as laser radar (Lidar). Nevertheless, Musk believes he can become the number one in robotaxis.

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