1:18Tesla cuts memory on its AI5 and AI6 chips to build more Optimus robots
Tesla reportedly plans to give its next AI chips less memory so it can produce more of them for Optimus. Here is what changes and what it means for cars.
Tesla is adjusting its next generation of AI chips with Optimus in mind. According to reports on October 10, the company plans to reduce the amount of memory on its AI5 and AI6 chips so it can build more humanoid robots.
The numbers
- AI5: 96 GB of memory.
- AI6: 144 GB of memory.
Tesla has not published the original memory plans in detail, so the size of the reduction is not clear from the reports.
Why less memory means more robots
High-performance memory is one of the scarcest and most expensive parts of AI hardware today, with demand from data centers soaring. Every chip that needs less of it is cheaper and easier to supply. If Tesla wants to build robots by the hundreds of thousands, and eventually millions, the bill of materials and the availability of each component matter enormously.
What it means for cars
For Tesla owners, the change has little direct effect for now. AI5 is the successor to the current AI4 (Hardware 4) computer in Tesla's cars, and it has not yet entered customer vehicles. How Tesla balances memory between cars, Cybercabs and robots will become clearer once AI5 is in production.
The bigger chip picture
The decision fits Tesla's wider push to control its own chip supply. Together with SpaceX, Tesla is planning Terafab, a chip complex in Texas with an initial budget of $16.8 billion, meant partly to make processors for Optimus and the Cybercab. Until that exists, Tesla depends on outside suppliers, which makes every design choice that saves scarce parts valuable.
What to watch
Official confirmation from Tesla, the timing of AI5 in cars and robots, and whether Optimus Gen 3 runs on AI5 from the start.
