Tesla Disbands Dojo Supercomputer Team, AI Strategy Shifts
Austin, TX – August 8, 2024 – Tesla has dismantled its Dojo supercomputer team, a critical component of Elon Musk‘s vision to transform the electric vehicle manufacturer into a leading artificial intelligence and robotics company, according to a report first published by Bloomberg. The move signals a potential shift in Tesla’s AI strategy.
Peter Bannon,who spearheaded the development of Tesla’s Dojo supercomputers and reported directly to Musk,has departed the company. Musk reportedly ordered the team’s closure,with engineers reassigned to other projects within Tesla. The company has not yet responded to requests for comment.
For the past year, Musk has been emphasizing to investors Tesla’s potential beyond electric vehicles, positioning it as a future AI and robotics powerhouse.Dojo, a custom-built supercomputer, was central to this plan, designed to process and train AI models using the vast amounts of video data generated by Tesla vehicles.
The Dojo project aimed to enhance Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance systems and ultimately enable the long-promised full self-driving capabilities, including a robotaxi service. Musk stated in july that the latest iteration of Dojo was expected to be operational at a scale equivalent to 100,000 Nvidia H-100 supercomputer chips next year.Tesla recently secured a $16.5 billion deal with Samsung to acquire additional A16 chips for its computing needs. The company is currently testing a Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, requiring a human safety driver, and a car service in San Francisco utilizing human drivers but accessible through the Tesla Robotaxi app.
The disbanding of the Dojo team comes amid questions regarding the relationship between Tesla’s AI efforts and those of Musk’s other company, xAI. Musk has attempted to differentiate the two, stating xAI focuses on “terabyte-scale and multiterabyte-scale models,” while Tesla utilizes “100x smaller models” geared towards “real-world AI” for its vehicles and robots.He also acknowledged that some engineers preferred to work on Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), prompting the creation of xAI.
tesla has experienced a wave of departures this year, including Milan Kovac from Optimus Robotics Engineering, David Lau, VP of Software Engineering, and Omead Afshar, formerly Musk’s Chief of Staff.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
