SpaceX Demonstrates a Thin AI Device Prototype, Deeply Integrates xAI Technology and Competes with OpenAI

Recently, SpaceX, the company founded by Musk, presented a prototype of an "iPhone-like" artificial intelligence (AI) device to investors and stakeholders, sparking widespread speculation in the market about the aerospace giant's entry into the consumer electronics and mobile wireless business.

According to reports, the prototype is designed to be thinner and more stylish than the iPhone, falling between a small touchscreen phone and the Rabbit R1. Although the project is still in its early stages with potential design changes, and Musk himself publicly responded that the report was "entirely fabricated," this move has clearly signaled SpaceX's intention to break away from the traditional smartphone ecosystem and build a native AI interface.

The core of this device lies in freeing itself from the constraints of third-party operating systems, aiming to run on SpaceX's proprietary operating system and deeply integrating the technology acquired from xAI earlier this year. By leveraging the manufacturing technology and edge computing chip reserves of SpaceX and Tesla for large-scale production of AI devices, combined with its ongoing Starlink mobile service, SpaceX now has the hardware and network infrastructure to challenge traditional telecom operators like Verizon and AT&T.

This move directly targets OpenAI's hardware strategy. Currently, OpenAI is collaborating with Jonathan Ive, former chief design officer of Apple, to develop an AI device that is more "peaceful," and recently hired Paul Mead, a vice president at Apple who was responsible for the Vision Pro headset.

Although early AI hardware companies like Humane and Rabbit faced significant market setbacks, the recent entries of SpaceX and OpenAI mark that competition among major players has shifted from cloud-based large models to native AI hardware ecosystems. With the maturation of next-generation communication technologies like Starlink, reshaping human-computer interaction interfaces has become an irreversible long-term trend in the AI industry.