SEOUL— Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that Samsung Electronics will produce the electric vehicle maker’s next-generation AI6 chip at its semiconductor plant in Texas, marking a major expansion of the companies’ partnership.
Musk made the announcement on Sunday (U.S. time) on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, “The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate.” He added that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which recently completed the design phase, will initially manufacture Tesla’s AI5 chip in Taiwan, according to Yonhap news agency.
Samsung, which already produces the AI4 chip for Tesla, has agreed to collaborate closely on improving manufacturing efficiency, Musk noted.
The AI6 chip is designed for versatility, being small enough for use in humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles while powerful enough to support high-performance AI data centers.
Samsung, meanwhile, announced on Monday that it has secured a record-breaking 22.8 trillion won ($16.4 billion) order for semiconductor production from an undisclosed customer, with the contract set for completion by December 31, 2033. The deal accounts for 7.6% of Samsung’s total revenue of 300.9 trillion won last year and marks the largest chip order in the company’s history.
The contract is expected to significantly strengthen Samsung’s foundry division, which has been striving to close the gap with industry leader TSMC. However, the company’s second-quarter earnings guidance, released earlier this month, showed an estimated operating profit of 4.59 trillion won and sales of 74 trillion won, with weaker-than-expected performance in both the foundry and System LSI divisions. (Source: IANS)
