Musk’s timeline would put AI6 in production sometime in 2027 or early 2028. He has not said whether it will be on a new node or what architectural changes are expected. But the commitment to a 2x gain over AI5, which itself is supposed to be 40x better than AI4, suggests that Tesla is aiming to push performance per watt and per dollar significantly higher in each cycle.
Tesla’s decision to split manufacturing between Samsung and TSMC reflects the scale of its ambitions more than any individual supplier’s advantage. AI5 and AI6 are expected to power FSD, Tesla’s humanoid robot platform , and potentially other unannounced systems.
That level of deployment requires guaranteed availability, and no single U.S. fab is likely to offer enough volume without risk. In practice, Tesla needs both fabs fully engaged just to hit expected production volumes. With AI5 not yet in tapeout and AI6 already planned, there’s little margin for delay.
This dual-source approach also gives Tesla flexibility. If one fab encounters yield issues, capacity limits, or node-specific challenges, the other can pick up the slack. It also gives the company better leverage in negotiating wafer supply and pricing, particularly as both fabs compete for high-value AI contracts.
Musk has suggested that AI7 is already in early development. He called it “more adventurous” and hinted that it might need a different fab arrangement. Whether that means moving to a more advanced node, adopting new packaging techniques, or changing foundry partners isn’t yet known.
For now, Tesla appears to be sticking to a system of iterating quickly, building for scale, and abstracting away from manufacturing differences that don’t affect performance. If the chips behave identically, Tesla doesn’t care where they come from. Ultimately, the company will use whatever capacity is available to ensure that chips keep rolling off the line.
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Luke James Social Links Navigation Contributor Luke James is a freelance writer and journalist. Although his background is in legal, he has a personal interest in all things tech, especially hardware and microelectronics, and anything regulatory.
TollHolio More lies from Musk FSD will work on FSD HW3. Reply
Key considerations
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/musk-confirms-tesla-ai5-and-ai6-will-be-made-at-samsung-and-tsmc#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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