Musk had previously indicated last year that Tesla might need to build what he described as “a gigantic chip fab” to manufacture its own AI chips as the company expands its artificial intelligence capabilities, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Tesla is currently developing its fifth-generation AI chip, which is intended to support the company’s ambitions in autonomous driving and advanced computing. During Tesla’s annual meeting last year, Musk outlined potential plans for manufacturing the chips as part of the company’s long-term technology strategy.
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At the time, Musk also suggested that Tesla could potentially collaborate with Intel on the project.
“You know, maybe we’ll do something with Intel,” he said, adding that no agreement had been signed but that discussions with the semiconductor company could be worthwhile.
“We haven’t signed any deal, but it’s probably worth having discussions with Intel,” Musk noted.
Musk has teased the AI5 chip before and reiterated that Tesla was also partnering with Taiwan’s TSMC and South Korea’s Samsung. The AI chips power Tesla’s autonomous driving systems, including the Full Self-Driving software.
“Even when we extrapolate the best-case scenario for chip production from our suppliers, it’s still not enough,” Musk said last year, at Tesla’s AGM.
“So I think we may have to do a Tesla terafab. It’s like giga but way bigger. I can’t see any other way to get to the volume of chips that we’re looking for. So I think we’re probably going to have to build a gigantic chip fab. It’s got to be done,” he said.
