In a recent interview with Elon Musk, a lot of information came out about his new artificial intelligence company, xAI. This interview happened on Tuesday, at Tesla Headquarters in Texas, and was conducted by CNBC’s David Faber. Tesla CEO and owner of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) Elon Musk has a knack for making headlines with exciting announcements. He let slip that xAI would continue to source graphics processing units (GPUs) from industry duopolists Nvidia and AMD.
Musk touted the robust infrastructure that has already been laid at xAI’s Colossus facility in Memphis. The company has had success getting 200,000 additional GPUs installed there. This significant investment is an indicative promise of xAI’s dedication to improving generative AI systems and processing functionality. The Colossus facility has become central to the company’s vision for AI development, enabling it to harness immense computational power for its projects.
In preparing for the SXSW interview, Musk told Recode that GPUs are the key to training powerful AI models. Specifically, he focused on the irreplaceable contributions from Nvidia and AMD. These firms deliver the key hardware that underpins all those complex algorithms now being cooked up at xAI. And as the demand for AI applications continues to increase, so will the demand for high-performance GPUs. This trend continues to build collaborative relationships with top manufacturers.
Musk’s entrance into AI has been timed with increased excitement and competition in the field. His efforts at xAI are focused on going beyond the current limits of artificial intelligence. Simultaneously, he tackles the ethical considerations in its development. As Musk noted, strengthening ties to GPU manufacturers will be critical to the company’s fortunes going forward.
The discussion moved beyond just specific collaborative technology to broader issues with technology and innovation itself. Musk made this last Friday’s announcement Musk’s first foray into AI. He closed by reiterating the urgent call for transparency and regulation in the industry. This view is indicative of his long-standing vision that America must make sure our technological advances enrich our entire society.