Musk says that Tesla may be able to run a version of Grōk natively
Not a Tesla App
Elon Musk's new venture, xAI, revealed its first-ever product last week. Musk has hinted at possibly incorporating a more compact iteration of this AI tool into Tesla's suite of vehicle technologies.
The day after the announcement, a well-known Tesla advocate, Chuck Cook (via Teslarati), noticed that Musk showed interest in a social media update positing that Grōk, xAI's AI model, might soon operate directly within Tesla's computing environment. Responding to the discussion by Cook, Musk suggested that Tesla could potentially host the world's most robust inference computation provided it can support Grōk's framework.
Musk posted: Provided our vehicle AI computer can run the model, Tesla will probably have the most usable inference compute on Earth.
Even in a robotaxi future, the cars will only be used for ~1/3 of hours/week, leaving 2/3 for distributed inference, like SETI.
Getting to Know Grōk
The precise roles that Grōk will fill in Tesla's ecosystem are still somewhat ambiguous. However, some conjecture points to its potential use as an upgrade to the vehicle's existing voice commands. The social media snippet acknowledged by Musk indicated the SuperPrompt aspect of Grōk could be designed to handle up to 25,000 characters and would initially pull live content from a designated X platform.
Plans are also in motion at xAI to create an application programming interface (API) for Grōk, with expectations set for the model to possess both auditory and visual recognition abilities.
More Grōk Changes Coming
These updates follow Musk's previous statement offering Grōk to X service's Premium Plus subscribers, with packages starting at $16 monthly. This strategic move occurred shortly after Musk introduced xAI, signaling the firm's entrance into the software domain, with Grōk being its initial launch.
On Friday, Musk reassured that the early beta phase would not hinder Premium Plus subscribers from getting their hands on the software. By Saturday, xAI, with Musk at the helm, had officially rolled out Grōk to its Premium Plus clientele, with comprehensive details listed on the company's web portal.
Additionally, the xAI website's career section actively posts job openings across four categories: AI engineering and research, data engineering and web operations, full-stack web development, and systems infrastructure.
In August, xAI used its social platform to reach out to creative talents, educators, and content curators to advance its AI models. This call to action was primarily aimed at individuals with a knack for writing and deep knowledge in specific areas, inviting them to engage with the company directly.
Provided our vehicle AI computer is able to run the model, Tesla will probably have the most amount of true usable inference compute on Earth.
Even in a robotaxi future, the cars will only be used for ~1/3 of hours/week, leaving 2/3 for distributed inference, like SETI.
After a post on X, Tesla has confirmed that it recently exported its 1 millionth car from Giga Shanghai. That’s a massive number of vehicles from a factory that only opened in December 2019.
Since Q3 2021, Giga Shanghai has been responsible for producing over 50% of global EV production – with the single exception of Q2 2022 – where production fell to about 40% while the factory was retooling. That’s a jaw-dropping figure for a single factory.
1 Million Exports
Giga Shanghai produces Teslas for practically the entire world, including the European, Australian, Chinese, and other Southeast Asian markets. For now, it also produces cars for Canada; however, an upcoming tariff could change this.
Giga Shanghai also celebrated the shipping of 100,000 vehicles to Australia with the 1 million vehicles exported mark. While the majority of vehicles end up in Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia are still massive markets for Tesla.
Going forward, Giga Shanghai, with its continued expansions, will be at or above 1 million vehicles produced per year. A good chunk of these vehicles stay within China, while the rest are exported. Tesla sells on average 40 to 80,000 cars per month in China, depending on the season, with an average of 90,000 cars produced per month in 2024 so far.
Automated Production
This is all thanks to Giga Shanghai’s 95% automated production line. Giga Shanghai is likely one of the most automated and advanced factories in the world, a testament to Tesla’s manufacturing and engineering expertise. Giga Shanghai produces one vehicle every 40 seconds.
We’re looking forward to seeing how Tesla’s expansions and factory innovations continue in the coming months and years.
Giga Shanghai operates a 95% automated production line, enabling a cycle time of less than 40 seconds! From taking 2.5 years for the first million cars to be produced, the second million was done in just 12 months 🚘🪄 pic.twitter.com/IF1w27AFPr
Tesla’s last app update, version 4.37.1, introduces support for critical alerts on the iPhone. These alerts are designed for emergency situations and will override standard notification settings, including the mute switch, Focus modes, and Do Not Disturb. This ensures that owners are notified when immediate action is required, even if their phone is set to silent.
How to Enable Critical Alerts
Activate Dog Mode: Open the Tesla app and turn on Dog Mode.
Main App Screen: After activating Dog Mode, go back to the main section of the app.
Enable Critical Alerts: A new option called Critical Alerts will appear under Live Camera and the quick action icons (Tip: You can add up to 5 quick actions). It’ll state, “Grant permissions to receive critical notifications.” Tap it, and you’ll see a system dialog asking for permission to allow critical alerts for the Tesla app.
Confirm Permission: Choose to allow the Tesla app to send critical notifications, which will grant the app special privileges for sending urgent alerts.
This new feature is likely intended for situations where Dog Mode needs to be turned off unexpectedly. For example, if the vehicle’s battery drops below 20% or if the temperature inside the cabin rises or falls drastically outside of your set temperature, the Tesla app is expected to send a critical alert to the owner, ensuring they are informed right away.
What Are Critical Alerts?
Critical Alerts are a type of iOS notification available only to approved apps, which must meet specific criteria set by Apple. These alerts are designed to be used in emergencies and bypass all standard notification restrictions. This means that regardless of whether your phone is silenced or in Do Not Disturb mode, the alert will play a sound and appear prominently.
By adding support for Critical Alerts, Tesla is prioritizing the safety of pets who may be left inside the vehicle with the expectation that Dog Mode will keep conditions safe. This change makes the app more reliable for alerting owners when immediate attention is needed, ensuring they are always kept informed—even when their phone’s settings would typically prevent other notifications from coming through.