There is no doubt that Elon Musk thinks big, although it is difficult to differentiate what is reality and what is a fantasy of the billionaire tycoon. just announced that SpaceX has bought xAI, which recently bought X. The amounts have not been revealed, although it is not very relevant, because the three companies belong to the CEO of Tesla.
Elon Musk’s objective is twofold: create an app-for-everything that allows us from chatting to using AI or hiring a space rocket, and build data centers for AI in spacewith the launch of a million satellites.
In the statement, it has become transcendental: “This merger marks not only the next chapter, but the next book in the mission of SpaceX and xAI: Scale to create a sentient sun that understands the universe and extends the light of consciousness to the stars!”
The consequences of the merger of SpaceX, xAI and
Elon Musk starts from a truth that only he dares to say, while the rest of the AI companies remain silent or throw the ball out: Terrestrial data centers pollute and consume energy resources that the Earth does not have the capacity to coverwithout generating high costs to the planet, or to citizens. We are already suffering from the rise in electricity prices because data centers make it more expensive.
So the solution is take these AI data centers into space, in the form of satellites: “By directly harnessing solar energy with few operating and maintenance costs, these satellites will transform our ability to scale computing. It’s always sunny in space!”
And he continues: «The launch of a constellation of one million satellites that function as orbital data centers is a first step towards become a Kardashev II level civilizationcapable of harnessing all the energy of the Sun. This will support AI-driven applications for billions of people today, and guarantee the multiplanetary future of humanity.”
Now we know why this week, Elon Musk has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to launch a million satellites into space in the coming years. You have more information on the previous card.
The CEO of SpaceX has the aspiration to turn us into a Kardashev II type civilization. Refers to The Scale of Kardashov or Kardashova method to measure the degree of technological evolution of a civilization, proposed in 1964 by the Russian astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev.
The scale proposes three categories, called Type I, II and III. A civilization reaches Type I when it has achieved mastery of the resources of its home planet. Type II requires mastering the resources of the solar systemand Type III, of the galaxy. Humanity has not yet reached Type I, because we have not yet mastered the Earth’s resources (we do not take advantage of seawater or 100% renewable energy), but Elon Musk is already thinking about Type II.
He also talks about build satellite factories on the Moonto launch them directly from there to other planets, and install data centers on Mars and its moons.
To create orbital data centers with those million satellites rockets are needed to carry more cargoso the Starship will get bigger and bigger. With this merger, xAI’s AI (Grok…) will control the satellites and offer its services from space, without contaminating the Earth. It will also rent servers to provide inference (computing power) to other AI companies.
Elon Musk also has a role reserved for X, integrating her into that app-for-everything which he has been talking about for years: “It will be the most ambitious and vertically integrated engine of innovation on Earth (and beyond), with artificial intelligence, rockets, space Internet (Starlink), direct communications with mobile devices and the most important platform for real-time information and freedom of expression in the world.”
There are good ideas in that statement, but they are explained without thinking about the consequences of putting millions of satellites into orbit, and coordinating space data centers for AI with technologies that, right now, do not exist. It is difficult to know to what extent any or all of this may become reality.