Elon Musk announces Samsung's role in producing Tesla's next-generation AI5 chip

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Elon Musk announces Samsung's role in producing Tesla's next-generation AI5 chip

Published: 23 Oct. 2025, 12:50 Updated: 23 Oct. 2025, 19:23

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington on Nov. 13, 2024. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday that Samsung Electronics will participate in the development of the company’s next-generation artificial intelligence chip, the AI5.

“Both Samsung and TSMC will work on AI5,” Musk said during a conference call held after Tesla’s third-quarter earnings announcement.

Until now, Tesla’s chip roadmap had placed TSMC as the exclusive manufacturer for AI5, with Samsung returning as the sole supplier for AI6. Musk’s remarks mark the first time he has confirmed Samsung’s involvement in AI5 production.

In July, Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Samsung’s new Texas plant would be dedicated to producing Tesla’s next-generation AI6 chips. The expanded partnership is seen as a move to reduce reliance on TSMC and diversify Tesla’s supply chain.

“Musk said that Samsung Electronics is taking a bigger role in manufacturing the carmaker’s chips, signaling that the Korean company is making inroads in a market dominated by TSMC,” Bloomberg reported.

Musk also shared updates on Tesla’s robotaxi business and humanoid robot “Optimus” during the call. He said Tesla plans to begin operating robotaxis in eight to 10 major U.S. cities by the end of the year and that fully autonomous driving without a safety monitor will be achieved in Austin, Texas, within that time frame.

Production of the Cybercab, a vehicle dedicated to the robotaxi service, is set to begin in the second quarter of next year.

Tesla Superchargers are shown in Mojave, California on July 10. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Tesla said it is building the production line for the first generation of Optimus, and Musk added that the company plans to scale the line to produce up to one million units. A new version of the robot, Optimus V3, is expected to be unveiled in the first quarter of next year.

Musk said that there is almost no supply chain for humanoid robots, so the company has to manufacture many parts itself, highlighting Tesla’s vertically integrated structure as a competitive advantage.

He also made headlines with a comment about his large stake in Tesla, saying, “The point is, there needs to be enough voting control to give a strong influence, but not so much that I can't be fired if I go insane.”

Tesla’s Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja urged shareholders to approve a $1 trillion compensation package for Musk at a shareholder meeting scheduled for Nov. 6. Musk criticized proxy advisory firms ISS and Glass Lewis, which recommended voting against the package, calling them “corporate terrorists.”

Tesla’s third-quarter earnings fell short of market expectations, and the stock dropped 3.80 percent in after-hours trading to close at $422.27.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]