Elon Musk recently confirmed that Tesla is working on its own specialized artificial intelligence hardware, claiming it will be the best in the world. This isn’t the first time such news has surfaced, but Musk’s direct statement adds credibility to the ongoing development. The idea of Tesla building custom AI chips has been circulating for a while, with reports suggesting the company is pushing for greater control over its autonomous driving systems.
In September, Sanjay Jha, CEO of GlobalFoundries (formerly known as Gemini), mentioned at the Santa Clara Grid Core Technology Summit that Tesla was collaborating closely with chip manufacturers. However, Gexin, one of the foundries, later clarified that there was a misunderstanding. They emphasized that no formal partnership had been established with Tesla, and that Jha was referring to general industry practices where companies like Apple, Google, and Tesla work with chipmakers for tailored solutions.
Despite this clarification, Musk himself reaffirmed the company’s commitment to developing AI hardware. He stated that Tesla is working on dedicated AI chips to enhance the performance of its self-driving systems. This move comes as Tesla continues to push for full autonomy, aiming to have a fully driverless car within two years.
The need for specialized hardware stems from the high demands of Tesla’s self-driving technology. Currently, Tesla relies on Nvidia’s graphics processing units, but these may not be sufficient to meet the company’s long-term goals. Musk has emphasized the importance of custom chips, which can boost computing efficiency and improve the overall performance of autonomous systems.
Jim Keller, a renowned chip architect who previously worked on AMD’s Zen architecture, now leads Tesla’s hardware division. He is heading a team of 50 engineers to develop a custom AI chip designed specifically for Tesla vehicles. With over 1.3 billion miles of autopilot data already collected, the goal is to use this chip to power next-generation self-driving systems.
Keller highlighted the benefits of custom silicon, noting that it allows for more efficient computation, which is essential for real-time decision-making in autonomous vehicles. Musk has repeatedly stated that Tesla aims to achieve full self-driving capabilities in the near future, envisioning a future where passengers can relax or even sleep during their journeys.
Interestingly, just days after Musk’s announcement, NVIDIA’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, unveiled the Titan V GPU, which offers nine times the performance of its predecessor, the Titan Xp, at a relatively modest price increase. This shows how competitive the AI chip market has become, with multiple players vying for dominance.
In addition to NVIDIA, companies like Google (Alphabet), Apple, and traditional automakers such as GM and Ford are all investing heavily in autonomous driving technology. Meanwhile, domestic players like Cambric are making waves, with their chips already used in Huawei smartphones and plans to launch a new processor for autonomous applications next year.
As Tesla moves forward with its custom AI chip development, the competition in the smart chip market is only going to intensify. Whether this will lead to faster advancements in self-driving technology remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the race for the future of mobility is heating up.
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