Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk on Thursday shared an update on the company’s semiconductor plans, indicating that the firm may “tape out” its next-generation AI6 chip by December 2026.
In chip manufacturing, tape-out marks the finalization of a design before production at a foundry. Musk noted the timeline depends on “luck and acceleration using AI.”
The AI6 chip represents a major step in Tesla’s AI strategy, supporting applications from self-driving vehicles to Optimus humanoid robots and Dojo supercomputers.
With some luck and acceleration using AI, we might be able to tape out AI6 in December
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 19, 2026
Tesla has partnered with Samsung Electronics under a $16.5 billion agreement to manufacture the chips at the company’s new 2-nanometer facility in Taylor, Texas.
Early projections suggest a single AI6 chip could match the performance of a dual AI5 system, unifying training and inference in one architecture.
Mass production is currently planned for the second half of 2027, with adoption in vehicles and robots expected in 2028.