Elon Musk Reveals Next-gen FSD Computing Hardware: Named AI5, Arithmetic Leaps Tenfold.

In the realm of autonomous driving, Tesla has consistently led the industry with its innovative technologies and forward-thinking concepts. However, as the company continues to grow and the global competition in the intelligent vehicle industry intensifies, Tesla has recognized the need for more standardized and professional naming conventions. Recently, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the existing hardware code "HW" for the autonomous driving system would be officially renamed "AI5" to better reflect its technological characteristics and future vision.

"HW," short for Hardware, highlighted Tesla's tech-savvy and engineering-driven roots during its early development stages, succinctly conveying the essence of the autonomous driving system hardware. However, as Tesla's global recognition and influence have grown, the practice of using internal engineering codes as product names has gradually become less professional and standardized.

Therefore, Tesla decided to rename its autonomous driving hardware platform. After careful consideration, Elon Musk ultimately chose "AI5" as the name for the new generation of autonomous driving hardware. This new name not only aligns more closely with the nature and characteristics of autonomous driving technology but also underscores Tesla's commitment to and investment in artificial intelligence technology.

The naming of "AI5" embodies the first principle of autonomous driving, which is an autonomous driving system based on artificial intelligence technology.

Exceptional Computational Performance and Industry Implications

Elon Musk particularly emphasized the AI5 platform's exceptional computational performance. He stated that the platform's computing power is approximately ten times that of HW4.0. This significant leap will make Tesla's autonomous driving system smarter and more adaptable, enabling it to better handle various complex road and traffic conditions.

Additionally, AI5 has achieved a 4-5 fold improvement in power efficiency, providing robust support for the efficient operation of the autonomous driving system.

It is reported that the AI5 platform is expected to be officially launched in the second half of 2025. At that time, Tesla's autonomous driving system will undergo a major technological upgrade, offering users a safer and more intelligent driving experience.

Although Tesla has not officially disclosed the specific computational power of HW4.0, industry speculation and third-party teardown tests suggest that HW4.0's computing power falls within the range of 300 to 500 TOPS. This implies that a single FSD chip has a computing power exceeding 200 TOPS.

Given this background, we can reasonably infer that Tesla's upcoming AI5 platform will possess astounding computational power, potentially reaching the level of 3000 to 5000 TOPS. This figure would make it a "king of chips" in the field of autonomous driving, far surpassing the mainstream products currently on the market.

In comparison, leading Chinese autonomous driving technology providers, such as Huawei and Xpeng, have NOA functionality platforms with computing power around 400-500 TOPS. Even Nvidia's Thor, often regarded as the "king of chips" in the industry, has a top configuration of just over 2000 TOPS.

It is worth noting that despite AI5's impressive computational power, there are differing opinions within the industry regarding whether mass-produced vehicles truly need such excessive computing power.

Energy Efficiency, Design Considerations, and Future Outlook

The energy efficiency improvements of AI5 are equally impressive. Compared to HW4.0, the overall energy consumption of AI5 has increased by 4 to 5 times. This increase, alongside a performance leap of up to 10 times, further demonstrates Tesla's exceptional progress in the integration of autonomous driving software and hardware, as well as its reasonable optimization in energy consumption control.

It is worth mentioning that there are significant differences in design between in-car computing chips and mobile phone computing chips. In-car computing platforms do not need to worry excessively about energy consumption and size, as they operate in a more forgiving environment. The thermal conditions of in-car computing platforms are naturally superior to those of PCs and mobile phones, allowing in-car chips to focus more on performance improvement without overly concerning themselves with heat dissipation.

Additionally, the battery capacity of electric vehicles is much larger than that of mobile phones. Therefore, even if the energy consumption of in-car computing chips is relatively high, it remains a negligible part compared to other components in the electric vehicle, such as the motor and air conditioning.

Another thought-provoking question is whether Tesla's business is limited to automobiles. This detail is often easily overlooked. In fact, based on Tesla's business layout and Elon Musk's forward-thinking approach, it's very likely that AI5 was not designed solely for FSD (Full Self-Driving).

Given the immense computing power of AI5, many speculate that it might also be compatible with the Robotaxi set to be released this August, the humanoid robot Optimus, and future Tesla models supporting L4 and L5 levels of autonomy. This speculation is not unfounded, as Tesla's continuous breakthroughs and investments in autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, and robotics make AI5 a crucial link between these fields.

Looking ahead, with the continuous maturation and popularization of autonomous driving technology, Tesla's product line could undergo revolutionary changes. We might eventually witness the debut of Tesla models without a cockpit.