Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 9
SpaceXAI Releases Grok 4.5 at $2 per Million Tokens as Musk Calls It Opus-Class
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 9

SpaceXAI Releases Grok 4.5 at $2 per Million Tokens as Musk Calls It Opus-Class

3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 9

Summary

  • SpaceXAI on Wednesday made Grok 4.5 public, its first model launch since going public, after beta users gave what Elon Musk called strong positive feedback.
  • Grok 4.5 is pitched as a general-purpose workhorse for coding, app building, office tasks, research and writing, with SpaceXAI claiming twice the token efficiency of leading rivals.
  • Pricing is set at $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens, undercutting Anthropic's Opus 4.7 at $5 and $25 and matching the low end of OpenAI's output pricing.
  • Benchmark results released by SpaceXAI showed the model competitive with top rivals, while Musk said internal tests put it roughly on par with Opus 4.7 but faster and cheaper.
  • The launch lands in a crowded AI release week, with OpenAI planning to unveil GPT 5.6 on Thursday after earlier Trump administration security restrictions delayed that model.

Insights

After absorbing a failing xAI, are Grok 4.5's bold performance claims credible without independent verification?
Why is SpaceXAI leasing its supercomputers to direct rivals while launching its own competing model?
Can SpaceXAI's orbital data centers bypass tightening US government AI regulations on Earth?