Samsung has reportedly started trial production of Tesla’s next-generation AI5 chip at its new foundry in Taylor, Texas.
According to a report from Seoul Economic Daily, citing semiconductor industry sources, Samsung recently began producing wafers using its 2-nanometer process at the Taylor facility. Some production lines have now entered the AI5 prototype stage as Samsung works to verify yields and prepare the process for full-scale manufacturing.
This does not mean AI5 chips are are close to being shipped for use by Tesla. The current work is focused on trial wafer production and final mass-production verification, which Samsung is reportedly aiming to complete by the end of 2026.
Full-scale production and supply is expected to begin in 2027. However, don’t expect AI5 in Tesla vehicles next year.
During Tesla’s Q1 2026 earnings call in April, CEO Elon Musk said AI4 has enough computing power to achieve unsupervised self-driving, removing the immediate need to move to AI5 in cars. Instead, Musk said AI5 is initially expected to be used in Optimus and Tesla’s data centres, before eventually making its way into vehicles when the existing AI4 hardware becomes old enough to justify ending production.
The accelerated timeline comes just months after Samsung held an equipment move-in ceremony at Taylor on April 24. Tesla reached the tape-out stage for AI5 in July, allowing the design to move into wafer manufacturing and verification.
Tesla is reportedly a key factor behind Samsung bringing Taylor online earlier than initially planned. The two companies signed a $16.5 billion chip supply agreement last year, with Taylor expected to become a major production hub for Tesla’s future AI hardware.
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