Musk says SpaceXAI will be renamed SpaceXSI
Version 2: New technology reports add context: a US “Super Intelligence Force” coordinating plan, Musk's statement that SpaceX and Tesla are in talks with TSMC over the Terafab chip project, and a different date for the US terminology change than the earlier account.
In short
Elon Musk said SpaceXAI will be renamed SpaceXSI, replying “yes, we will make the change” to a user question on X, and adding that it is “no longer called AI, it is called SI — that is better”, according to CLS and 36Kr. Tech outlets tied the move to the US government's shift to the term “super intelligence”, with IT Home reporting a 29 September executive order and cnBeta reporting a 22 September announcement. cnBeta also said Musk told of possible cooperation between SpaceX and Tesla and TSMC on the Terafab chip project.
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Elon Musk said SpaceXAI will be renamed SpaceXSI, answering a user who asked on X whether such a change was possible. “Yes, we will make the change,” Musk replied, adding that it is “no longer called AI, it is called SI — that is better”, according to CLS and 36Kr. Yicai, Jiemian and cnBeta also reported the statement. None of the documents gave a date for when the change would take effect. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]
Musk also wrote on X that SpaceX is a super intelligence company, a statement carried by IT Home, Jiemian, cnBeta and an IT Home morning news roundup. IT Home reported that xAI was acquired by Musk's space company SpaceX in February, bringing the chatbot Grok and the social platform X into the SpaceX group, and that xAI announced in July it was renaming itself SpaceXAI, changing its logo and X username at the same time. [ 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
The terminology shift comes from the US government. IT Home reported that on 29 September, US Eastern time, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing all executive departments and agencies to use “Super Intelligence” (SI) instead of artificial intelligence (AI). cnBeta, however, said Trump announced the replacement of the term on 22 September and called on the federal government to adopt the new wording, after which the administration began building a new policy framework and industry communication mechanism. The documents do not reconcile the two dates. [ 3 , 7 , 8 ]
cnBeta also reported that the Trump administration is launching a plan named “Super Intelligence Force” (SIF), which it said would handle coordination between the federal government and the technology industry and become an important platform for carrying out US super intelligence policy. [ 7 ]
Separately, cnBeta reported that Musk said SpaceX and Tesla are discussing possible cooperation with TSMC on the Terafab project, and that the two sides are only at the discussion stage, though “there may be some results in the future”. cnBeta described Terafab as a large semiconductor manufacturing plan pushed by SpaceX and Tesla with a target of supplying at least one terawatt of AI computing power a year for uses including Optimus humanoid robots, autonomous vehicles and space data centres; it said phase one is under construction in Grimes County, Texas, with initial investment of about $16.8 billion and a possible final total of more than $100 billion. Intel joined the plan in April, offering 14A process and advanced packaging technology, cnBeta said. [ 7 ]
IT Home also described a 29 September appearance by technology leaders in front of the White House, where Musk, taking his turn to speak, said “AI” and then quickly corrected himself to “SI”; Trump thanked him, smiled and patted his shoulder, the outlet said. In a later AI roundup, Yicai listed the renaming alongside the White House forming a “Super Intelligence Working Group” and SoftBank's Masayoshi Son issuing a warning on AI safety, without further detail. [ 3 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The renaming would align Musk's AI and space business with the terminology the US government is adopting, which the documents describe as also shaping policy structures and industry cooperation. cnBeta reported that a new US “Super Intelligence Force” would coordinate between the federal government and technology companies, and that Musk has floated a huge semiconductor plan that could draw in both Intel and TSMC. No timetable or completed name change is given, so the practical effect is not yet clear.
Key facts
- Musk said SpaceXAI will be renamed SpaceXSI, answering a user question on X. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]
- Musk replied “Yes, we will make the change” and said “it is no longer called AI, it is called SI — that is better”, according to CLS and 36Kr. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Musk said SpaceX is a super intelligence company. [ 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- IT Home reported that on 29 September, US Eastern time, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing all executive departments and agencies to use “Super Intelligence” instead of artificial intelligence. [ 3 ]
- cnBeta reported that Trump announced the replacement of the term on 22 September, and that the administration is launching a “Super Intelligence Force” plan to coordinate with the technology industry. [ 7 ]
- cnBeta reported that Musk said SpaceX and Tesla are discussing possible cooperation with TSMC on the Terafab project, and that the two sides are only at the discussion stage. [ 7 ]
- xAI was acquired by SpaceX in February and renamed SpaceXAI in July, with a new logo and X username. [ 3 , 7 ]
- A later Yicai AI roundup listed the renaming alongside the White House forming a “Super Intelligence Working Group” and SoftBank's Masayoshi Son issuing a warning on AI safety. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Musk said SpaceXAI will be renamed SpaceXSI. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- The statement was made in a reply to a user question on X. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- Musk said SpaceX is a super intelligence company. [ 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- Musk said “it is no longer called AI, it is called SI — that is better”. [ 2 , 5 ]
- US President Donald Trump moved to replace the term “artificial intelligence” with “super intelligence” in government use. [ 3 , 7 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- When the name change takes effect and whether it has been formally completed. The documents report only Musk's statement; none gives a date or a company confirmation that the change has been made.
- The date and form of the US terminology change. IT Home says an executive order was signed on 29 September, US Eastern time, while cnBeta says Trump announced the replacement on 22 September; the documents do not reconcile the two accounts.
- Whether SpaceXAI or SpaceX issued any separate statement about the renaming. No company statement appears in the documents; all reports trace back to Musk's posts on X.
- Whether TSMC will join the Terafab project, and the project's final cost and schedule. Single-source from cnBeta, which also quotes Musk saying talks are only at the discussion stage and “there may be some results in the future”.
- Details of the “Super Intelligence Force” plan and the White House “Super Intelligence Working Group”, and SoftBank's Masayoshi Son's warning on AI safety. Each is mentioned by only one outlet — cnBeta and a Yicai roundup respectively — with no further detail, and the latter is not clearly part of this event.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yicai reports in a headline that Musk says he will rename SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI. [ 1 ]
- CLS reports Musk's reply on X confirming the change and saying “it is no longer called AI, it is called SI — that is better”. [ 2 ]
- IT Home reports the statement and links it to Trump's 29 September executive order on “Super Intelligence”. [ 3 ]
- Jiemian reports Musk saying SpaceX is a super intelligence company and that SpaceXAI will become SpaceXSI. [ 4 ]
- 36Kr relays CLS's report of Musk's reply on X. [ 5 ]
- Yicai's AI roundup lists the renaming alongside the White House “Super Intelligence Working Group” and SoftBank's Masayoshi Son warning on AI safety. [ 6 ]
- cnBeta reports the rename with US policy context, the “Super Intelligence Force” plan and Musk's comments on TSMC and the Terafab project. [ 7 ]
- IT Home's morning news roundup repeats that Musk said on 4 October that SpaceX is a super intelligence company. [ 8 ]