Tesla's AI5, according to Musk, will be the most superior inference chip yet.
Tesla's AI5 Chip: A Leap Forward in AI-driven Vehicles
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has unveiled details about the company's upcoming AI chips, AI5 and AI6. The in-house silicon team, based primarily in Austin, Texas, is currently working on the AI5 chip platform, which is projected to set a new benchmark for automotive and broader AI computing performance.
The AI4 chip, currently used in Tesla's vehicles, is a custom SoC manufactured by Samsung. However, Tesla has consolidated its silicon roadmap, moving from two chip architectures to one, and all of its silicon talent is now focused on making one incredible chip, either AI5 or AI6.
AI5 is expected to be the best inference chip of any kind for models below ~250 billion parameters, with the lowest cost silicon and the best performance per watt. Musk stated that the AI5 chip design review was successful, and he expects AI5 to be the best inference chip in its class.
Mass production of AI5 is expected to be handled by TSMC, with production set to begin by late 2026. Meanwhile, Tesla's previous silicon partner, Samsung, will continue to play a role in Tesla's chip production, specifically for AI6.
Samsung is preparing its Taylor, Texas, fab to meet Tesla's needs for AI6 chip production. Musk plans to personally visit the Samsung facility in Texas to "accelerate the pace of progress" for AI6. AI6, which Tesla has a $16.5 billion deal with Samsung for production starting in 2026, is expected to take the performance of AI5 even further.
It is worth noting that Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software is the backbone of its vehicles, powered by the AI4 chip. However, with the development of AI5 and AI6, Tesla is moving towards more advanced AI capabilities, promising improved performance and efficiency in its vehicles.
Interestingly, Tesla officially scrapped its Dojo supercomputer platform earlier this summer, indicating a shift in focus towards in-house chip development. The production details for Tesla's AI6 chips mention that initial samples will not be produced at Samsung's U.S. facilities, but the exact production start and location are not specified in the available information.
Musk has also mentioned that AI6 could be the best AI chip overall. With these advancements, Tesla is poised to lead the way in AI-driven vehicles and beyond. The AI5 chip platform, currently under development, could become one of the most important chip platforms for AI-driven vehicles and beyond.
