Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Saturday that the company’s Terafab project, aimed at producing artificial intelligence chips, is expected to launch within seven days.
Last year, Musk suggested Tesla may need to build what he described as a “gigantic chip fab” to meet its growing demand for AI hardware.
Tesla is currently developing its fifth-generation AI chip, designed to power the company’s autonomous driving systems and support its long-term self-driving ambitions. During Tesla’s annual meeting last year, Musk outlined possible manufacturing plans for the chips.
He noted that Tesla could potentially work with Intel, saying at the time that discussions with the company might be worthwhile, although no agreement had been signed.
Tesla did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for additional details about the Terafab project.
Musk has previously mentioned the upcoming AI5 chip and confirmed that Tesla is also working with Taiwan’s TSMC and South Korea’s Samsung to produce AI processors used in its Full Self-Driving technology.
According to Musk, even optimistic projections of chip supply from existing partners may not be enough to support Tesla’s future needs. Because of that, he said the company may ultimately have to build its own massive semiconductor facility to reach the required production scale.