According to a blog post published yesterday by automotive media outlet Not A Tesla App, Tesla’s next-generation “AI5 / HW5” Full Self-Driving (FSD) chip has entered mass production, jointly manufactured by TSMC and Samsung.
The chip boasts a computing performance of 2000-2500 TOPS (trillion operations per second), which is five times that of the current HW4 chip (approximately 500 TOPS, equipped in the new Model Y). This enables support for more complex unsupervised FSD algorithms.
Regarding foundries, TSMC remains Tesla’s primary choice, with the HW5 chip being mass-produced using its 3nm N3P process. Samsung serves as the backup foundry partner and is expected to be utilized only when Tesla ramps up mass production of HW5-equipped vehicles in 2026. This multi-source strategy indicates Tesla is diversifying its supply chain to mitigate risks.
Tesla has stated that AI5 and AI6 will gradually improve FSD and enhance safety, but this does not mean older vehicles will receive upgrades. Upgrades will only occur if a vehicle cannot run unsupervised FSD in a manner that outperforms human drivers in safety. Newer models consistently perform better and are safer, but this doesn’t imply older hardware cannot drive safely.
Tesla also plans to equip the AI5/HW5 hardware suite with upgraded FSD cameras. Samsung-supplied “weather-resistant lenses” will feature built-in heating elements directly within the lens assembly, capable of melting ice and snow within one minute to reduce image distortion. Their lens coating is six times more durable than current Model Y cameras and features hydrophobic properties, allowing faster clearing of melted snow or ice water to enhance perception capabilities in low-temperature environments.
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