SpaceX has just announced a notable cooperation agreement with Cursor (an artificial intelligence platform that supports programming) to develop a generation of artificial intelligence for programming and knowledge work.
A special point in the agreement is the clause allowing SpaceX to have the option to buy the Cursor with a valuation of up to $60 billion by the end of this year.
This move is being made in the context that SpaceX is said to be preparing for a long-awaited initial public offering (IPO).
Partnering with an AI platform that is being favored by programmers like Cursor can help increase SpaceX's attractiveness to investors, especially when Elon Musk's corporation is expanding strongly into the field of artificial intelligence.
Previously, signs of cooperation between the Cursor and Musk's AI ecosystem appeared. xAI (Elon Musk's AI company) is said to have provided computing capabilities for the Cursor through large-scale data centers.
At the same time, two senior technical leaders of Cursor also left the company to join xAI, sparking speculation about a closer link between the parties.
According to SpaceX's description, the cooperation will combine the product platform and distribution system for Cursor software engineers with the Colossus supercomputer developed by SpaceX. This system is said to have power equivalent to one million Nvidia H100 chips, which is one of the most powerful AI chip lines today.
In terms of finance, SpaceX said it could spend $10 billion to pay Cursor during the cooperation process or exercise the right to acquire it for $60 billion.
This figure is significantly higher than the valuation that Cursor is aiming for in the upcoming private funding round, about 50 billion USD. In fact, the value of Cursor has skyrocketed in just a short time, from 2.5 billion USD at the beginning of last year to nearly 30 billion USD after Series D (a funding phase in the startup's development process).
However, this potential deal also poses many challenges. SpaceX is said to be under financial pressure after large investments in xAI and the X social network platform. Spending tens of billions of USD, whether in cash or in stock, could increase risks in the context that the company is still not listed.
In the opposite direction, both Cursor and xAI are facing fierce competition from big names like OpenAI and Anthropic.
These companies are currently leading in AI models, and also developing their own programming tools, directly competing with Cursor.
Currently, Cursor still relies on integrating and selling access to models like GPT or Claude, but this is considered a dependence strategy. The new agreement with SpaceX may be a step to reduce this dependence, towards building its own AI capabilities that are competitive in the market.
Although there are still many unknowns, the deal between SpaceX and Cursor shows that the AI race is entering a new phase, where technology companies are not only competing in models but also in ecosystems, infrastructure and comprehensive integration capabilities.
