Grok 3 is officially here, and the latest announcement from xAI has revealed some game-changing developments. But is it truly the smartest AI on Earth, as Elon Musk claims? Let’s break down what’s new and what still needs work.

Short on time? Skip to the TL;DR at the end!

🚀 Major Announcements from the Launch

🔹 200,000 GPUs for Training - Initially reported at 100,000 GPUs, xAI has now doubled that to 200,000, making it one of the most powerful AI clusters ever built.

🔹 More Compute = More Accuracy? - Grok 3 has 10x the training power of Grok 2, positioning it as a frontier-level model. But does raw compute translate to better results?

🔹 Think Mode, Deep Search & Big Brain -

• Think Mode: Optimized for logical reasoning.
• Deep Search: Retrieves data from the web for real-time knowledge.
• Big Brain Mode: Allows longer computation for complex problems - potentially revolutionizing AI-driven problem-solving.

🔹 Benchmarks & Performance

• Grok 3 outperforms Gemini 2 Flash, OpenAI’s O3 Mini, and DeepSeek models in math, science, and coding.
• Surprisingly, Grok 3 Mini Reasoning beats the full Grok 3 Reasoning Beta in some cases.
• Early tests show it excels in logical problem-solving but still struggles with code execution.

💰 Grok 3 Pricing: How Much Does It Cost?

Grok 3 is currently exclusive to X Premium+ subscribers, with an additional SuperGrok tier for advanced features:

🔹 X Premium+ ($50/month or $350/year) - Required for accessing Grok 3 within X (Twitter). This is an increase from the previous $22/month.

🔹 SuperGrok ($30/month or $300/year) - A separate subscription tier for advanced capabilities like Deep Search and Big Brain Mode, available via Grok.com and its mobile app.

🔹 Enterprise API - Custom pricing for businesses looking to integrate Grok 3 into their own applications.

Is it worth it? If you're an X Premium+ user, Grok 3 is included, but at $50/month, it’s a steep price for casual users. Those who don’t want an X subscription can still access Grok 3’s best features through the standalone SuperGrok plan on Grok.com.

🧠 Real-World Testing: How It Holds Up

Now that users have started testing Grok 3, here’s what we’re seeing:

✅ Strengths
✔️ More powerful logical reasoning than previous versions.
✔️ Faster response times - Grok 3 is highly optimized for speed.
✔️ Real-time web search integration via Deep Search.
✔️ New UI on Grok.com makes interaction smoother.

❌ Limitations
🚫 Deep Search still lacks transparency - users can’t always verify sources.
🚫 Coding struggles continue - Grok 3 generates code fast but sometimes fails in execution.
🚫 Limited availability - some paying users still report no access yet on X or Grok.com.

🔥 The Next Evolution: What’s Coming?

🔜 Grok 2 Open-Source Release - As soon as Grok 3 is stable, Grok 2 will be open-sourced.
🔜 AI Agents & Voice Mode - xAI is developing autonomous agents and real-time voice interactions similar to OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo.
🔜 Expanded API Access - Expect wider integration options in the coming weeks.

📊 Final Thoughts / TL;DR - Grok 3 Post-Launch Reality

🚀 200,000 GPUs used for training - 10x more powerful than Grok 2.
🧠 New Modes: Think Mode (better reasoning), Deep Search (real-time web retrieval), Big Brain Mode (complex problem-solving).
📊 Performance: Beats Gemini 2 Flash & O3 Mini in benchmarks but struggles with coding & real-time accuracy.
⚠️ Limitations: Deep Search lacks transparency, some users still don’t have access, and coding execution is hit-or-miss.
🔮 What’s Next? AI agents, voice mode, open-source Grok 2, and expanded API access.

Bottom Line: Grok 3 is fast, powerful, and promising. If you're on X Premium, it’s worth testing. But is it a ChatGPT killer? Not yet - maybe never.

Stay frozen! ❄️

-Kobi.