The announcement, made via X (formerly Twitter), clarifies that while the AI5 and AI6 chips will handle terrestrial FSD (Full Self-Driving) and Optimus robot tasks, the AI7/Dojo 3 architecture is being developed specifically for deployment in space.
The “Why” Behind Space-Based AI
Musk’s pivot addresses a growing crisis for the AI industry: Earth’s power grid.
- Unlimited Energy: Orbital data centers in sun-synchronous orbits can access continuous, 24/7 solar energy without straining terrestrial electrical grids.
- Thermal Management: While vacuum cooling is an engineering challenge, Musk believes the cold of deep space offers a long-term thermodynamic advantage for massive compute clusters.
- SpaceX Synergy: Musk intends to use Starship to launch constellations of compute satellites, effectively merging Tesla’s silicon expertise with SpaceX’s transportation dominance.
Tesla’s Evolving Chip Gradient
Musk outlined a clear roadmap for the company’s proprietary silicon over the next several years:
| Chip Generation | Manufacturing Partner | Primary Purpose |
| AI5 | TSMC / Samsung | On-board FSD (In-car) & Optimus Gen 3 |
| AI6 | Samsung (Texas) | Data Centers & High-end Robotics |
| AI7 / Dojo 3 | TBD (Likely Samsung 2nm) | Space-Based AI Compute |
A Massive Recruitment Drive
To rebuild the team that was disbanded in August 2025, Musk has issued a “Call for Heroes.” He is inviting engineers to bypass traditional resumes and instead send a note to AI_Chips@Tesla.com with three bullet points detailing the “toughest technical problems” they have solved. He claims Dojo 3 will ultimately be the highest-volume AI chip in the world.
Industry Context: Competition at the Core
The timing of the restart is strategically linked to two major events:
- Nvidia’s Challenge: At CES 2026, Nvidia unveiled Alpamayo, an open-source autonomous driving model designed to directly challenge Tesla’s FSD. By moving into orbital compute, Tesla is attempting to “leapfrog” the competition by owning a unique infrastructure layer.
- The AI5 Success: Musk stated that the restart was only possible because the AI5 chip design is now “in good shape,” freeing up the engineering bandwidth required to tackle the complexities of space-hardened silicon.
Conclusion: From Cars to Constellations
The resurrection of Dojo 3 marks Tesla’s transition from an EV manufacturer to a broad-based infrastructure and energy company. While skeptics point to the massive difficulties of dissipating heat in a vacuum and the cost of satellite maintenance, Musk’s track record with SpaceX suggests that “speculative” orbital infrastructure is often his most successful playground.
