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Grok 3 model explained: Everything you need to know
XAI introduced and expanded its large language model to the newest version -- Grok 3, which offers features such as advanced reasoning, knowledge retrieval and text summarization.
At the foundation of generative AI's (GenAI) diverse, competitive landscape are large language models (LLMs) and their chatbot services so familiar to users.
Open AI's ChatGPT, powered by the GPT series of LLMs, launched the modern GenAI era. Anthropic's Claude LLMs and Google Gemini expanded the choices available for users and organizations. Another choice is Grok, developed by Elon Musk's xAI business unit.
The term grok traces its roots to science fiction author Robert Heinlein's 1961 novel, Stranger in a Strange Land, as a new word to describe the ability to understand something deeply. Grok is closely associated with Musk's X, formerly Twitter, as an integrated GenAI chatbot, though it is available elsewhere.
What is Grok 3?
Grok 3 is an LLM from xAI first announced on Feb. 17, 2025, in a live stream hosted by xAI CEO Musk and engineers who developed the technology. Musk is a well-known billionaire who founded electric vehicle vendor Tesla, started space technology vendor SpaceX and acquired Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion.
Musk founded the xAI business on March 9, 2023, with the original stated goal of helping to understand the universe better. To date, xAI's main contribution is the Grok AI assistant chatbot technology, which is powered by its namesake LLM at the core.
Grok 3 is the third iteration of Grok. As with Grok 1 and Grok 2, Grok 3 is written in a combination of the Rust and Python programming languages. While Grok 1 had some code available under the open source Apache 2.0 license, Grok 3 is not open source and has a proprietary license.
Among Grok 3's innovations is the expanded training infrastructure used to develop the model -- xAI's proprietary Colossus supercomputer cluster. According to xAI, that supercluster initially included more than 100,000 Nvidia Hopper GPUs, the most powerful GPU available for production deployments during Grok's training. The Colossus supercluster also employs Nvidia Spectrum-X Ethernet for connectivity, enabling high-performance throughput while training the model.
There are two versions of Grok 3. The base version is simply known as Grok 3, while Grok 3 mini is a smaller, more cost-efficient model.
At its core, Grok 3 is a reasoning model that surpasses its predecessors' limited reasoning functionality. With advanced reasoning, Grok 3 is a competitive alternative to other reasoning models, including OpenAI's o3 and DeepSeek-R1.
What can Grok 3 do?
Grok 3 benefits from two core modes of operation -- Think or DeepSearch -- to handle diverse tasks.
Both are advanced forms of reasoning that outstrip the basic knowledge retrieval of prior Grok models.
Think mode
In Think mode, Grok 3 provides a chain-of-thought (CoT) approach to a user's prompt. The output is a step-by-step detail of the model's reasoning.
DeepSearch mode
With DeepSearch mode, Grok 3's search engine delivers more detailed and deeper internet results, probing more sources than Think mode. Therefore, DeepSearch mode typically takes more time to execute a query than Think mode.
Across both Think and DeepSearch mode, Grok 3 tackles wide-ranging functions, including the following:
- Advanced reasoning. Grok 3 takes a multistep reasoning approach to all prompts. The model self-corrects errors and delivers well-reasoned and more accurate responses.
- Content summarization. Similar to any modern LLM, Grok 3 summarizes content, including text, images and video.
- Text generation. Another feature common to other LLMs is Grok 3's ability to generate text content.
- Knowledge retrieval. Particularly in DeepSearch mode, Grok 3 surpasses a traditional LLM, which is limited by the data on which the model was trained. Grok 3 scours the entire internet to find updated, relevant information.
- Mathematics. Grok 3 has advanced mathematics skills, producing strong results across industry benchmarks.
- Coding. The ability to generate code is a core capability of Grok 3. Besides writing new code, it also optimizes and debugs existing code.
- Voice capability. Grok 3 includes an integrated voice mode, enabling verbal replies.
Previous iterations of Grok
Grok has been under development since xAI was formed in 2023. Iterations preceding the Grok 3 update in February 2025 include:
- Grok 1. The first model, released on Nov. 3, 2023, provided an AI chatbot with more "personality" than others released: Grok 1 often injected humor into its responses.
- Grok 1.5. Announced on March 28, 2024, Grok 1.5 expanded the context length of the model to 128,000 tokens. The model provided improved problem-solving capabilities and delivered competitive benchmark results against rivals such as Anthropic Claude 3, OpenAI GPT-4 and Google Gemini Pro 1.5.
- Grok 1.5v. On April 12, 2024, xAI introduced Grok 1.5 vision (Grok 1.5v), a multimodal version of Grok. Grok 1.5v was the first xAI model capable of understanding and analyzing images.
- Grok 2. The first versions of Grok 2 and Grok 2 mini debuted on Aug. 14, 2024. This model had built-in multimodal functionality and improved performance over Grok 1.5. Grok 2 could generate images through a partnership with Black Forest Labs, which developed the FLUX text-to-image generation technology.
Grok 3 vs. GPT-4o vs. DeepSeek-R1
Highly competitive vendor options exist in the search for leading-edge LLMs. Among Grok 3's prominent rivals are OpenAI's GPT-4o, first released on May 24, 2024, and DeepSeek-R1, debuted on Jan. 20, 2025.
Grok does more than knowledge retrieval; it deeply integrates advanced reasoning into the model. Meanwhile, DeepSeek-R1, DeepSeek-V3's reasoning model, lacks Grok 3's search capabilities. GPT-4o is not a core reasoning model -- look to OpenAI's o1 and o3 models for that -- but more of a general-purpose model with some reasoning capabilities.
Across several industry benchmarks, from LiveCodeBench for coding to AIME 2024 in math, xAI reported that its Grok 3 model produced better results than its rivals. (In the chart below, the higher the number, the greater the success.)
| Feature | Grok 3 | GPT-4o | DeepSeek-R1 |
| Released | Feb. 17, 2025 | May 24, 2024 | Jan. 20, 2025 |
| Developer | xAI (USA) | OpenAI (USA) | DeepSeek (China) |
| Reasoning | Advanced "Think" mode | Limited reasoning capabilities | Strong reasoning functionality |
| Real-time data | DeepSearch feature for up-to-date information | Limited to training data cutoff | Limited to training data cutoff |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Open source |
| Coding (LiveCodeBench) |
79.4 | 72.9 | 64.3 |
| Math (AIME 2024) |
99.3 | 87.3 | 79.8 |
How to use Grok 3
As an xAI technology, Grok 3 is available through several options at launch.
X
Users of the X platform, both on the web and using mobile apps, have access to Grok 3.
- Free users. Free users of the X platform get limited access to Grok 3.
- X Premium/Premium+ users. Paid users of the X platform, including Premium and Premium+ subscribers, receive increased access to Grok 3, including both Think and DeepResearch modes. When available, voice mode is for paid users only, with Premium+ users receiving early access.
Grok.com
The Grok 3 model is also available at the grok.com website.
- Free users. Free users receive limited access to the Grok 3 models.
- SuperGrok. XAI's SuperGrok subscription tier costs $30 per month or $300 if paid upfront yearly. It provides expanded access to Grok 3 and unlimited access to image generation. SuperGrok users also receive early access to voice mode.
Grok mobile app
The Grok mobile app is available on Apple iOS and Google Android devices and offers the same subscription options as grok.com.
API access
Though planned, no timeline is available for Grok 3's availability using an API.
Sean Michael Kerner is an IT consultant, technology enthusiast and tinkerer. He has pulled Token Ring, configured NetWare and been known to compile his own Linux kernel. He consults with industry and media organizations on technology issues.
