EVwire Brief: Elon Musk shared new details about Tesla’s AI5 and AI6 chips, while fresh hiring activity suggests the company is moving forward with its Terafab chip manufacturing project in the Gigafactory Texas complex.
The update came via X, where Musk responded to discussions about Tesla’s chip architecture.
According to Apple and Rivian alumnus Phil Beisel, Tesla’s AI5 chip is expected to use a half-reticle design, which could significantly improve manufacturing efficiency by increasing chip yield compared to larger single-reticle designs.
In his response, Musk noted that AI5 is designed to “punch far above its weight,” as Tesla’s AI software and hardware are co-designed to maximize performance from every circuit.
He also added that while the AI5 chip can be used for training workloads, it is primarily optimized for edge AI compute in Tesla’s Optimus and Robotaxi platforms.
The CEO also hinted at rapid iteration beyond AI5. According to Musk, a single AI6 chip could potentially match the performance of a dual-SoC AI5 within the same process node and reticle constraints.
He added that Tesla may be able to tape out AI6 as early as December, especially with the help of AI-assisted design tools.
Tesla’s push into custom AI silicon is closely tied to its push towards autonomy and robotics. Elon Musk has stated that FSD will be the backbone of Tesla’s future, and Optimus has the potential to be the biggest product ever.
Terafab hiring signals scaling of Tesla’s AI infrastructure
Tesla’s Terafab project is gaining traction alongside the company’s chip developments.
A recent job listing highlighted by industry watcher Sawyer Merritt points to active hiring for a role focused on factory design, construction, and ramp-up for semiconductor manufacturing in Austin.
Tesla really wants someone with experience and grit for the Terafab Project
The position calls for experience in semiconductor facility engineering, capacity modeling, and large-scale program execution.
This suggests that Tesla is preparing for a complex and capital-intensive buildout.
The Terafab initiative is expected to give Tesla greater control over chip production as demand grows across its AI programs.
This includes not only vehicle autonomy, but also robotics and data center workloads tied to training and inference.
Tesla has taken a similar vertically integrated approach in its vehicle businesses, and its move into chip manufacturing looks to be following the same playbook.
