Tesla to run smaller native version of xAI’s Grōk using local compute power

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The first product from Elon Musk-led xAI was announced on Friday, and the CEO has suggested that Tesla’s vehicles may natively run a smaller version of the AI assistant.

On Saturday, X user and Tesla enthusiast Chuck Cook spotted that Musk liked a post saying that a smaller, quantized version of the AI model Grōk would run natively on Tesla with local computing power. Following Cook’s mention, Musk noted that Teslas will likely come with the largest amount of usable inference compute in the world — as long as the vehicles’ AI computer can run the Grōk model.

Exactly what applications Grōk will have on Tesla are unclear, but some have noted that it could be used in place of the company’s current voice command system. The post that Musk liked mentioned this and that the SuperPrompt context window in Grok may have a limit of 25,000 characters, adding that the model will first look to X for live content access.

Additionally, xAI is reportedly planning an application programming interface (API) for Grōk, and the model is also expected to have both audio and image recognition.

The news comes after Musk announced that Grōk will be provided to X users who subscribe to the company’s Premium Plus tier, starting at $16 a month. It also comes just a few months after Musk launched the OpenAI competitor xAI, officially marking the company’s first software release.

While it isn’t yet clear when xAI plans to release the model to X Premium Plus users, Musk said on Friday that subscribers would get access to the software “as soon as it’s out of early beta.”

The company’s jobs web page also hosts four different job listings for working at the company: AI engineering and researching, data engineering and web crawling, full stack web engineering, and infrastructure engineering.

In August, the xAI account on X posted that it was hiring creators, teachers and curators to help improve the company’s models, adding that those who are extremely good at writing and are experts in their fields should direct message (DM) the account.

Before xAI, Elon Musk had hopes for OpenAI at Tesla

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla to run smaller native version of xAI’s Grōk using local compute power

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Elon Musk says Tesla will build €25k EV at Giga Berlin

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited the company’s German production plant known as Giga Berlin today. He also gave an update on plans for the aesthetic of the plant, as well as a plan for manufacturing the company’s mass-market $25k EV.

Musk has frequently visited Tesla’s production plants to check on the progress of production and operations while also meeting with various team members, including those who are responsible for manufacturing.

While there, Musk said that Tesla would build a $25,000 EV at the plant, according to @Gf4Tesla on X.

The $25k vehicle, which has been a car the automaker has planned to manufacture for several years, would be able to reach a new sector of customers who are unwilling to spend upwards of $30,000 on a new EV.

The $25k EV from Tesla has been rumored to be built in several markets, including in China and Mexico. Still, Musk revealed today when meeting with employees that it will also be made in Berlin for the European market.

While Tesla has been able to slash prices on its vehicles in recent years, it has not been able to get the Model 3 quite to the $25,000 level.

However, it has been detailed for some time that it would build a vehicle to reach that price point.

Analysts at Loup Ventures said that the car could make its debut in 2024. Still, Tesla will be busy with scaling the Cybertruck at Gigafactory Texas and could wait to launch new projects as Musk expressed concern about interest rates during the Q3 Earnings Call.

Additionally, recent details have hinted that the vehicle could have a design that the Cybertruck inspires.

Tesla’s $25k car and dedicated robotaxi will be Cybertruck-inspired: report

Musk also said that Tesla plans to cover the entire concrete sector of the Berlin factory with art.

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Elon Musk says Tesla will build €25k EV at Giga Berlin

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Tesla Lathrop Megafactory spotted with 337 Megapack batteries

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Tesla Energy seems to be well on its way to ending 2023 on a strong note. This was hinted at by a rather large fleet of 337 Megapack batteries that was recently sighted at the Megafactory in Lathrop, California.

The Tesla Megapack is the electric vehicle maker’s flagship battery storage system. Designed specifically for grid use, the Megapack has been deployed in several notable projects around the world. These include a 150 MW/300 MWh Tesla Megapack system in New South Wales, Australia and a 182 MW/730 MWh battery farm in Moss Landing, California. 

Tesla currently offers two variants of the Megapack: a 2-hour version that offers 1.9 MW of power and 3.9 MWh of energy and a 4-hour version that offers 1 MW of power and 3.9 MWh of energy. The batteries are priced at $1,908,590 for the four-hour variant with installation and $2,123,590 for the two-hour variant with installation. Without installation fees, the Megapack costs $1,321,390 for the two-hour variant and $1,270,310 for the four-hour variant.

Considering that longtime Tesla watcher Met God in Wilderness was able to spot 337 Megapack batteries at the Lathrop Megafactory during a flyover on November 2, 2023, one could estimate that the battery fleet at the site could be worth about $500 million. Elon Musk hinted as much during the Q3 2023 earnings call when he noted that Tesla Energy was becoming the company’s highest-margin business. 

“Regarding energy storage, we deployed 4 GWh of energy storage products in Q3. And as this business grows, the Energy division is becoming our highest-margin business. Energy and service now contribute over half a billion to quarterly profit,” Musk said. 

While the Lathrop Megafactory is already producing large numbers of Megapack batteries, the facility is still being ramped by Tesla. As per the electric vehicle maker in its Q3 2023 Update Letter, the company’s energy storage deployments increased by 90% YoY in Q3 to 4.0 GWh, which was Tesla’s highest quarterly deployment ever. The Megafactory is also being ramped towards its full capacity of 40 GWh with its phase two expansion. 

Watch the recent drone flyover of the Lathrop Megafactory in the video below. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Tesla Lathrop Megafactory spotted with 337 Megapack batteries

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