Tesla Shifts Gears: AI6 Chip Replaces Project Dojo for Autonomous Driving Training

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the company is phasing out its ambitious Project Dojo supercomputer initiative. Instead, Tesla will focus its resources on its in-house developed AI6 chip, which Musk indicated will serve as the successor to Dojo for training the company's autonomous driving systems.

Project Dojo Halted, AI6 Takes Center Stage

Earlier reports suggested Tesla was scaling back its Dojo efforts, a move now officially confirmed by Musk on X. The decision stems from a strategic realignment to avoid dividing resources between two distinct AI chip designs. Dojo was specifically engineered for training Tesla's autonomous driving programs and was not intended for consumer products.

AI6: The New Powerhouse for Tesla's AI

Musk revealed that Tesla will consolidate its AI training efforts onto the AI5 and AI6 chips. He stated that integrating these chips into supercomputer clusters for both inference and training would significantly reduce network cabling complexity and cost. This strategic shift means the AI6 chip will now handle the heavy lifting previously assigned to Dojo.

Key Takeaways:

• Tesla is discontinuing Project Dojo.

• The AI6 chip will serve as the successor to Dojo.

• Focus will be on using AI5/AI6 chips for both inference and training.

• This consolidation aims to streamline resource allocation and reduce costs.

AI6: A Generalized Dojo

Experts have noted the shared core design elements between Dojo's D1 chip and Tesla's AI5/AI6 chips, particularly in their handling of neural network operations like matrix multiplication and parallel processing. While Dojo featured a unique system-on-wafer design with a 5x5 chip grid for high-speed data transfer, the AI6 is now seen as a generalized version of this technology.

Musk enthusiastically endorsed this view, responding with a "bullseye" emoji to comments likening the AI6 to "Dojo 3." The AI6 chips are slated for integration into various Tesla products, including the Optimus robot, Cybercab, and the next-generation Roadster. Production of the AI6 is expected to be handled by Samsung at its upcoming Texas fabrication facility, with Musk personally overseeing the production line to expedite output.