Rebranding to SpaceXSI

Elon Musk confirmed on 4 October 2026 that SpaceX will rename its artificial intelligence division from SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI. The decision follows a push by US President Donald Trump to replace the term artificial intelligence with super intelligence across government communications. Musk affirmed the transition on social media platform X when asked by a user whether the unit would adopt the new name, though he did not specify an exact date for the implementation. The division's social media accounts retained the SpaceXAI name immediately after the announcement.

“Yes, we will make that change.”

Trump administration directive

The naming shift aligns with an executive order signed by Trump on 29 September 2026, titled Inaugurating the Era of Superintelligence. The directive requires executive branch agencies to use the term super intelligence or SI in official documents, reports, and public websites instead of artificial intelligence. References in congressional legislation remain unaffected until lawmakers pass statutory amendments. The order also grants the presidential science and technology adviser 60 days to formulate a formal legal definition of superintelligence. Trump previously introduced the concept internationally during his address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly on 22 September 2026.

“Hereinafter officially called super intelligence, changing the name, and that the use of the word artificial makes intelligence fake. It makes it sound fake, and it is not fake, it's actually amazing.”

On the day the executive order was signed, Musk joined chief executives from Nvidia, Google, OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic at the White House to sign the voluntary White House Accord on Super Intelligence. The pact asks developers of frontier models to establish internal governance controls and submit to external audits. Trump also appointed leadership for a newly established Super Intelligence Force.

Corporate restructuring history

The planned rebrand represents the third corporate identity for the technology unit within eight months. Musk founded xAI as an independent startup in 2023 before the company acquired X Corp. in March 2025. SpaceX then acquired xAI in February 2026 in a $1.25 trillion transaction that consolidated Musk's aerospace and computing operations. Following the acquisition, SpaceX conducted an initial public offering on the Nasdaq exchange on 12 June 2026 under the ticker SPCX, raising $75 billion at a company valuation of $1.77 trillion. On 6 July 2026, the artificial intelligence unit adopted the SpaceXAI moniker alongside a redesigned logo.

xAI acquisition deal value (February 2026)1,250

SpaceX IPO capital raised (June 2026)75

SpaceX IPO valuation (June 2026)1,770

xAI acquisition deal value (February 2026)

1250 $B

SpaceX IPO capital raised (June 2026)

75 $B

SpaceX IPO valuation (June 2026)

1770 $B

Data from the article text

Origins of the terminology

The vocabulary favoured by the White House differs from standard computer science terminology, which defines artificial intelligence as software systems engineered to perform specific cognitive tasks. Nick Bostrom popularized the term superintelligence in his 2014 book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, describing it as an intellect that surpasses human cognitive performance across virtually all domains. Prior to selecting super intelligence, Trump evaluated alternative labels including supreme intelligence, superior intelligence, and extreme intelligence. Under current US legal definitions, the regulatory scope of super intelligence remains identical to existing statutory provisions governing artificial intelligence pending new guidance from federal science advisers.