On July 28, 2025, it was reported in the local media that Tesla will sign a semiconductor contract worth a total of $16.5 billion (about 2.4 trillion yen) with Samsung Electronics of Korea.

The contract is for the consignment production of AI6, the next-generation AI semiconductor developed by Tesla, which will be manufactured at Samsung Electronics’ new plant in Taylor, Texas, U.S.A., using the world’s most advanced 2nm process. The contract will run through December 31, 2033.
The AI6 semiconductors to be mass-produced by Tesla will be used in the company’s self-driving FSD and humanoid robot, Optimus Robot, to provide faster and more advanced computing power than ever before.

This is not just a Tesla story, but it is said that in order for advanced self-driving technology and humanoid robots to support humans with more human-like functions and faster computing power, the production process technology for semiconductors, or AI chips, suitable for these technologies will become more important.
Currently, TSMC and Samsung Electronics are the only companies in the world with production technology at the 3nm process or lower. Other semiconductor manufacturers are considered to be at the 7nm level.
The ultra-fine process competition between TSMC and Samsung has been ongoing for the past several years, and it is predicted that they will enter the 1nm level around 2030.

While fabless companies such as NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel are leading the industry in design technology and commercialization of high-performance semiconductors represented by AI semiconductors, TSMC and Samsung Electronics are in control of the actual mass production technology.
In such a situation, Tesla, the biggest trendsetter in the automotive industry in areas such as digitalization and AI, is attracting a lot of attention as to which foundry will produce the next cutting-edge semiconductors to be put into practical use. The situation is such that only by being selected by Tesla will the company be able to move to the next cutting-edge.

Tesla is expected to develop its business more broadly based on the “Tesla Platform,” a unified OS that brings together BEVs, automated driving, connected services, robots, production lines, digital design solutions, data centers, and B2C service networks through the advancement of AI and the development of its own unified OS. The company plans to develop its business more broadly based on the “Tesla Platform” with a unified operating system.
To achieve this, high-performance semiconductors that can drive the OS without problems are essential, and the industry seems to have started competing for advanced semiconductors before other companies.
In the future, competition is expected to intensify over software and digitalization, such as AI, automated driving, and data centers.

We will investigate and analyze the global competition in the era of SDV, including policies and regulations in major countries around the world, as well as strategies and trends among automakers, component suppliers, and related stakeholders.
We will also examine the status of software-related initiatives as well as hardware, and analyze the competition for survival among industries expected to grow as the shift to SDV progresses.
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