Samsung to start Tesla AI5 chip production at Texas plant

Samsung Electronics is preparing to begin manufacturing Tesla's next-generation AI5 processor at its semiconductor plant in Taylor, Texas, following the completion of a key design milestone. A principal engineer at Samsung Foundry, James Kim, posted on LinkedIn that the "Tesla-Samsung AI5 chip has reached tapeout" and is scheduled for production at the Taylor facility using Samsung's latest 2-nanometer process technology. The post was later deleted, but its content was reported by multiple industry sources.

Tapeout signifies the point where a chip's finalized design is handed over to a semiconductor foundry for prototype manufacturing and testing. This step moves the project closer to production but does not indicate that commercial mass production has begun. Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced in April 2026 that the company's chip design team had completed the AI5 tapeout for manufacturing by both Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). Industry sources indicate Musk's April announcement primarily concerned a version prepared for TSMC, while the recent report involves the separate Samsung-manufactured iteration.

The AI5 chip is a proprietary artificial intelligence...