# xAI vs General Compute

> xAI sells closed Grok models with live X data. General Compute serves open models on ASIC decode at lower per-token prices.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-general-compute · By The Subconscious Team · Updated October 27, 2026

## How they compare

xAI's Grok 4.7 costs $2 in and $6 out per million tokens with a 500K window, and Grok 4.20 and 4.3 keep 1M context at $1.25 in and $2.50 out. Server-side Web Search and X Search pull live posts from X, and Grok 4.6 runs about 54 tokens per second. General Compute serves MiniMax M2.7, DeepSeek V3.2, DeepSeek V3.1 and GPT-OSS 120B at $0.21 to $0.28 in and $0.38 to $1.20 out, with context up to 192K. It reports over 1,000 tokens per second on GPT-OSS 120B in its own benchmark.

xAI is the pick for agents that need fresh news, market or social data, and for long contexts on a closed model. General Compute fits speed-bound loops where an open model is good enough, and teams that want to serve their own fine-tunes. xAI bills the whole request at double once a prompt passes 200K tokens, while General Compute caps context at 192K.

## What each one does

### xAI

xAI sells the Grok models through its own API. SpaceX acquired it in February 2026, and its docs now use the SpaceXAI name. Grok 4.7, released September 21, 2026, is the current flagship, pitched for coding, agentic tasks and knowledge work. It has a 500K context window and costs $2 in and $6 out per million tokens under 200K prompt tokens. Older Grok 4.20 and 4.3 models keep a 1M window at $1.25 in and $2.50 out, which is aggressive for that capability class.

### General Compute

General Compute is a San Francisco inference cloud built on alternative chips. It splits each request across hardware, with NVIDIA GPUs handling prefill and ASICs from Cerebras, SambaNova, Positron AI and d-Matrix handling decode. In its own open benchmark on GPT-OSS 120B it measured 1,025 to 1,234 output tokens per second against 100 to 121 on an unnamed GPU cloud, and up to 16.2x faster end to end. Founders Finn Puklowski and Jason Goodison raised a $15M seed led by FUSE, an up to $400M debt facility from Upper90 and, on October 27, 2026, a $100M Series A co-led by Blackbird and Abstract.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose xAI for

- Real-time X and web data
- Cheap closed-model output tokens
- 1M context on Grok 4.20

### Choose General Compute for

- Fast decode on open models
- Custom fine-tuned checkpoints
- Low input prices

## At a glance

| Attribute | xAI | General Compute |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Closed | Open weights |
| Flagship models | Grok 4.7, Grok 4.20, grok-build | MiniMax M2.7, DeepSeek V3.2, GPT-OSS 120B |
| Speed | ~54 tok/s on Grok 4.6 | 1,000+ tok/s on GPT-OSS 120B (vendor) |
| Price | $2 in, $6 out (Grok 4.7); 2x past 200K | $0.21–$0.28 in, $0.38–$1.20 out per 1M |
| Customization | - | Custom LoRA and fine-tuned checkpoints |
| Deployment | First-party API | Serverless API, dedicated racks, bare metal |
| Long context | 500K (4.7), 1M (4.20, 4.3) | 192K (MiniMax M2.7) |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between xAI and General Compute?

xAI sells closed Grok models with live X data. General Compute serves open models on ASIC decode at lower per-token prices.

### When should I choose xAI over General Compute?

Real-time X and web data; Cheap closed-model output tokens; 1M context on Grok 4.20.

### When should I choose General Compute over xAI?

Fast decode on open models; Custom fine-tuned checkpoints; Low input prices.

### Is xAI or General Compute cheaper?

xAI: $2 in, $6 out (Grok 4.7); 2x past 200K. General Compute: $0.21–$0.28 in, $0.38–$1.20 out per 1M. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, xAI or General Compute?

xAI: 500K (4.7), 1M (4.20, 4.3). General Compute: 192K (MiniMax M2.7).

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-xai.md), [Subconscious vs General Compute](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-general-compute.md).

Full profiles: [xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/xai.md), [General Compute](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/general-compute.md).