Image: Tesla
Elon Musk has provided a clearer timeline for Tesla’s next-generation AI5 chip — and customers shouldn’t expect to see it inside vehicles until the middle of 2027.
In a post on X, the CEO noted that AI5 “will not be available in sufficient volume to switch over Tesla production lines until mid 2027,” adding that Tesla will need “several hundred thousand completed AI5 boards line side” before the transition can happen. Musk also mentioned that he had invited Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell to sit in on this week’s chip design review.
AI5, also referred to as Hardware 5 or HW5, is Tesla’s next major silicon leap. Designed fully in-house, the chip is intended for use across Tesla vehicles, Optimus robots, and the company’s expanding network of AI training data centers. Tesla has previously said AI5 will offer as much as a 50x total improvement over the existing AI4 hardware. AI5 will be manufactured by both TSMC and Samsung in the U.S.
Musk’s latest comments build on earlier statements in which he said Tesla planned to produce a small number of AI5 units in 2026, with volume production beginning in 2027. However, today’s update clarifies that even once production ramps up, the chip won’t be available in the quantities needed for vehicle integration until mid-year. That means customers likely won’t see AI5-equipped Teslas roll off the line until sometime after that point.
AI6 — Tesla’s next chip after AI5 — is expected to follow in 2028. The company has already signed a massive $16.5 billion deal with Samsung to build AI6 in the U.S. Musk has previously claimed AI5 will be “the best inference chip of any kind” and that AI6 could become “the best AI chip by far.”
Tesla’s silicon roadmap remains one of its most important long-term differentiators as the company doubles down on autonomous driving, robotics, and AI. And while AI5 is still about two years away from appearing in consumer vehicles, Tesla’s rapid iteration suggests even bigger leaps are on the horizon.
