xAI launched Grok 4.5, its first release since acquiring Cursor, with API pricing at $2/$6 per million tokens and coding performance sharpened by Cursor session data.
By Quantara Editorial Team · AI Tools · Published · 7 min read
xAI launched Grok 4.5 around July 8, 2026, describing it as its smartest model yet for coding, agentic tasks, and knowledge work. The release is notable beyond the model itself: it is xAI's first since acquiring the AI coding startup Cursor, and the first release reported under its expanded "SpaceXAI" branding following SpaceX's involvement.
Grok 4.5 Pricing and Access
Grok 4.5 is available through the xAI API at $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens, with configurable reasoning effort — low, medium, or high, defaulting to high. It is available in Grok Build, in Cursor on all plans, and from the SpaceXAI console. It is not yet available in the EU.
The Cursor Connection
xAI says Cursor IDE session data was used in supplemental training specifically to sharpen Grok 4.5's coding and technical reasoning performance. Folding a widely used coding tool's real usage patterns into training is a direct way to compete on developer workflows rather than general benchmarks alone, and it signals how xAI intends to use the Cursor acquisition strategically rather than just as a standalone product.
Grok Imagine: "Done," Then Updated Again
In a separate but related thread, Elon Musk said on July 5, 2026 that he was "done with Grok Imagine," signaling that the image and video generation feature had reached a stable, completed state. Two days later, on July 7, Musk announced a further update to Grok Imagine, sharing a video preview on X — suggesting "done" described a milestone rather than a stop in ongoing iteration.
Grok Build Quality-of-Life Updates
Grok Build, xAI's agent-building interface, added multiline input, smoother conversation scrolling, and Vim-aware keyboard shortcuts on the agent dashboard — PageUp and PageDown now scroll the conversation while the prompt stays focused, a small but practical fix for anyone iterating quickly on agent prompts.
Who Should Look at Grok 4.5
- Teams already using Cursor who want a model tuned on similar coding-session patterns.
- Developers who want configurable reasoning effort to trade cost against depth per request.
- Users outside the EU, where the model is not yet available.
Sources
- Axios: SpaceXAI launches new model, Grok 4.5
- PYMNTS: SpaceX Debuts Expanded Version of Grok AI Model
- Basenor: Grok Imagine Is Done — xAI Completes Image Generation Feature
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Grok 4.5 cost through the API?
- xAI lists Grok 4.5 at $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens, with configurable reasoning effort (low, medium, or high; high is the default).
- Is Grok 4.5 related to Cursor?
- Yes. Grok 4.5 is xAI's first release since acquiring the AI coding startup Cursor, and xAI used Cursor IDE session data in supplemental training to sharpen the model's coding and technical reasoning performance.
- Is Grok 4.5 available in the EU?
- No, as of its July 2026 launch, Grok 4.5 is not yet available in the EU, though it is available via the xAI API, Grok Build, Cursor, and the SpaceXAI console elsewhere.
- Is Grok Imagine finished or still being updated?
- Elon Musk said on July 5, 2026 that Grok Imagine was "done," then announced a further update on July 7 with a video preview on X — so it reached a milestone but is still receiving updates.