Prime Highlight
- Tesla will restart its Dojo3 AI chip project, refocusing it on space-based AI compute rather than Earth-based self-driving training.
- Elon Musk described the move as a long-term bet, tied to future limits on terrestrial power and computing capacity.
Key Facts
- Tesla previously disbanded the Dojo team earlier this year but now plans to build Dojo3 alongside its AI5 and upcoming AI6 chips.
- The company has signed a $16.5 billion deal with Samsung to manufacture its next-generation AI6 chips.
Background
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said over the long weekend that the electric vehicle maker will restart work on Dojo3, its third-generation AI chip project that was shelved earlier this year. Unlike earlier versions, Dojo3 will not focus on training self-driving models on Earth. Instead, Musk said the chip will power “space-based AI compute.”
The announcement marks a sharp shift from Tesla’s strategy five months ago, when the company disbanded its Dojo team after the exit of project lead Peter Bannon. Several former Dojo engineers later joined a new AI infrastructure startup, Density AI. At the time, reports said Tesla would lean more heavily on partners such as Nvidia, AMD and Samsung for computing needs.
Musk said the decision to revive Dojo followed progress on Tesla’s internal chip roadmap. He noted that the AI5 chip, designed by Tesla and manufactured by TSMC, is in good shape. AI5 supports Tesla’s automated driving systems and its Optimus humanoid robot program. Tesla has also signed a $16.5 billion deal with Samsung to build its next-generation AI6 chips.
Calling the new effort a long-term bet, Musk said, “AI7/Dojo3 will be for space-based AI compute.” He also invited engineers to apply directly, asking them to email Tesla with examples of tough technical problems they have solved.
The timing of the announcement comes as competition in autonomous driving heats up. At CES 2026, Nvidia unveiled an open-source driving model that challenges Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software. Musk acknowledged that solving rare driving scenarios remains difficult.
Musk has long argued that future AI data centers may need to move off Earth due to power limits. Reports suggest he plans to use SpaceX’s Starship rockets to launch computing satellites powered by constant solar energy.
