- Tesla signs $ 16.5 billion chip deals with Samsung to AI6 AI -Chip production
- New Chip will operate Tesla robots, self-driving cars and Sky-Datacenters
- Samsung’s Texas Fab will produce Tesla chips described as a flexible platform
Tesla has entered into an agreement of $ 16.5 billion with Samsung to manufacture its upcoming AI6 chip, which will be used in a wide range of AI-run applications.
The trade, which was revealed in a South Korean regulatory archiving and later confirmed by Elon Musk, will run from now to the end of 2033.
Seam CNBC The reports rejected Samsung initially named the counterparty and referred to a confidentiality request, but Musk later exposed Tesla as the customer, where he said Samsung’s upcoming Texas manufacturer would focus on building Teslas AI6 hardware.
Robots, vehicles and data centers
Musk said Tesla would be involved in streamlining the manufacturing process and that he personally planned to oversee progress at the plant.
The AI6 chip is designed to operate a number of systems including humanoid robots, autonomous vehicles and AI data centers.
It follows the AI4 chip currently in use, and AI5, which recently completed design and is planned for the production of TSMC using a 3NM process.
At Tesla’s recent Q2 2025 earnings call, the company noted without giving the AI5 hardware delayed by a whole year, with production now expected at the end of 2026.
Tesla described the AI6 chip as a flexible platform that could scale down for robotic applications and up to large-scale inference workload.
The company also claimed that it could improve inference performance on the current hardware with almost 10x. SEAM CNBC It is noted that this comes in the midst of speculation that Tesla may reach the limits of its current AI4 architecture.
Former Tesla chip architect Jim Keller, also known for his work with chips at Apple, AMD and Intel, has previously stated that Tesla would probably need a 5 to 10x benefit jump over AI4 to achieve full self-driving capabilities.
Samsung’s commitment to AI6 marks a strategic victory for its founding business, which is currently behind TSMC in the market share.
The company invests a lot in 2NM production to secure future AI chip orders.
