Tech mogul Elon Musk has revealed plans to construct a massive supercomputer, termed the “gigafactory of compute,” to bolster his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, according to a report by The Information on Saturday.
Reportedly, Musk aims to have this supercomputer, which will integrate 100,000 Nvidia chips, up and running by the fall of 2025. During a recent presentation to investors, he emphasized his personal commitment to ensuring the project is completed on schedule.
As per the report, the proposed supercomputer is expected to be “at least four times the size of the largest GPU clusters currently in existence,” including those utilized by Meta for AI model training, Musk reportedly stated.
Since the debut of OpenAI’s generative AI tool, ChatGPT, in 2022, the field of AI has become intensely competitive, with major players like Microsoft, Google, Meta, and startups such as Anthropic and Stability AI vying for dominance.
Musk stands out as one of the few investors with the financial resources to challenge AI powerhouses like OpenAI, Google, and Meta.
xAI is in the process of developing Grok, a chatbot capable of accessing real-time information from X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, which Musk also owns.
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but departed in 2018, later expressing discomfort with the company’s shift towards profit under CEO Sam Altman’s leadership. In March, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it had strayed from its original non-profit mission of making AI research universally accessible.
OpenAI has dismissed Musk’s lawsuit and his advocacy for open-source development as mere dissatisfaction following his exit from the company.
Meanwhile, during an interview at the Viva Tech event, Elon Musk, known for his unconventional and often provocative remarks, took things up a notch. When the host jokingly suggested that some people think Musk might be an alien, he responded with a straight-faced affirmation, sparking both amusement and curiosity, as reported by India Today.
The host mentioned, “Some people believe you are an alien.” Musk, without missing a beat and with a touch of mischief, responded, “I am an alien.” The host, entertained by the exchange, proclaimed that Musk’s secret was out. Musk added, “Yes, I keep telling people I’m an alien, but nobody believes me.” This playful yet cryptic statement has left audiences buzzing, with Musk promising to share proof on social media.
(With inputs from AFP)
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Published: 26 May 2024, 09:29 PM IST
