Tesla AI5 Chip Memory Cut 2026: 5 Ways It Boosts Optimus
Elon Musk Slashed Tesla's AI5 Chip Memory in Half — and Says Optimus Won't Even Notice Co-produced by Daniel Aharonoff and DigitalDan As the chief editor of tesladan.me, I live for the moments when Elon Musk casually drops engineering news on X that would be a keynote announcement at any other company. On October 1, 2026, he did it again — this time about the silicon brains inside Tesla's cars and, more importantly, its robots. The message was startling in its bluntness: Tesla is cutting the memory on its upcoming AI5 chip in half, from 144 GB down to 72 GB of LPDDR5. The AI6 chip is getting a trim too, dropping by a third to 144 GB of LPDDR6. Wait — Tesla is downgrading its most important chip? Before you panic, read Musk's reasoning, because it might be the most telling Tesla Optimus production update we've gotten all year. He said the cut was "the only way to get enough volume for Optimus production" and that it "greatly reduces cost." And...
