Tesla AI5 Chip Tapes Out on Samsung 2nm

According to industry sources, Samsung Electronics’ foundry division has completed the tape-out process for Tesla’s next-generation AI5 autonomous driving chip and is preparing for mass production targeted for 2027.

A senior engineer from Samsung Electronics’ foundry business recently revealed on social media that the AI5 chip, jointly developed by Tesla and Samsung, has completed tape-out. The chip is expected to be manufactured using Samsung’s 2nm process at the company’s Taylor, Texas, semiconductor facility and will be deployed in Tesla’s latest products.

Tape-out represents the final stage of chip design before manufacturing, indicating that the photomasks required for semiconductor production have been completed. It is also a critical milestone before a chip enters volume production.

Samsung plans to fully begin operations at its Taylor fab in 2027. The latest disclosure marks the company’s first indication of a relatively clear production timeline for Tesla’s AI5 chip.

Previously, Park Sang-hoon, head of Samsung Foundry’s Customer Design Support Team, stated at SAFE Forum 2026 that Samsung completed the development of a 2nm chip for companies specializing in automotive and physical AI applications within eight months. However, the customer’s identity was not disclosed at the time.

Industry analysts expect Samsung may manufacture the AI5 chip using its 2nm 2P process or an enhanced 2P+ process. The 2P+ technology is designed to improve yield, power efficiency, performance, and chip area through further process optimization and design-technology co-optimization while maintaining existing intellectual property compatibility.

Design-technology co-optimization involves simultaneously optimizing chip architecture, transistor placement, and interconnect structures during process development. As semiconductor nodes continue to shrink, increasing wiring complexity and design constraints are making this approach more important. Samsung is expected to begin mass production of its 2P+ process around 2027 or 2028.

Tesla’s AI5 is a next-generation artificial intelligence chip developed for autonomous vehicles and robotics applications. The company plans to split AI5 production orders between Samsung Electronics and TSMC.

In April, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that the AI5 chip had already completed tape-out. Industry observers believe Musk was likely referring to the TSMC-manufactured version at that time.

When the same chip design is produced by different foundries, development schedules may vary due to differences in process design rules and manufacturing technologies. Each foundry requires its own customized photomasks, meaning the same mask set cannot be directly shared between different production facilities.