It appears that Tesla is seeking to add more chip suppliers, and following its agreements with TSMC and Samsung, the automaker is now interested in Intel's foundry services.
Tesla Could Be the First External Customer of Intel's 18A Node For Its Upcoming AI6 Custom Silicon
When it comes to external customers, Intel Foundry hasn't managed to secure much volume, and while the firm's 18A process has panned out to be a competitive platform, Team Blue still hasn't managed to get the 'market spotlight'. However, according to Elon Musk's discussions surrounding the chip industry, the billionaire teased a potential collaboration with Intel Foundry, claiming that Tesla needs 'gigantic' chip production volume across all its partners. With this, the American automaker will become the first to source semiconductors from Samsung, TSMC, and Intel.
Maybe we'll do something with Intel. We haven't signed any deal, but it's probably worth having discussions with Intel. Even when we extrapolate the best case scenario for chip production form our suppliers. it is still not enough.
- Elon Musk
Given that Tesla does manage to secure a deal with Intel, it would likely revolve around the 18A node for now, considering that the process is IFS's most competitive offering, and more importantly, Tesla is looking for '2nm suppliers' for its next-gen AI6 AI chips. For those unaware, Intel was previously rumored to provide advanced packaging services for Tesla's Dojo supercomputer; however, with the venture's shutdown, rumors of a deal were stalled. Now, we are exploring a collaboration on the semiconductor front, which would be a significantly more attractive deal for Intel.
Based on the 'Big Three' chip firms out there, Intel has the most 'advanced chip fab' in the US as of now, and the company's Arizona Fab 52 facility is currently mass-producing the 18A node, which is a direct counterpart to TSMC's N2 and Samsung's SF2. Given that Tesla values 'manufacturing in America', a partnership with Intel becomes more sensible in this case, as it provides the automaker with access to a cutting-edge facility right in the US. However, for now, we are unaware of how a potential Intel-Tesla deal could evolve, since Musk hasn't revealed any specifics.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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