Tesla HW5 FSD computer specs leak out as production is entrusted to TSMC and Samsung

While Tesla is trying to shoehorn its algorithms for unsupervised FSD into the old HW3 computer that still forms the bulk of its fleet, it is already placing orders for the next-gen HW5 chip that it now calls AI5.

Those orders have been going to both TSMC and Samsung foundries, and Korean industry insiders are now reporting that the Tesla AI5/HW5 FSD computer will perform in the 2000–2500 TOPS (trillion operations per second) range.

This is five times faster than the current HW4 computer that is in the new Model Y, and which can effortlessly run unsupervised FSD. The pilot Tesla Robotaxi platform launch is scheduled for the week of June 21, and it will feature about a dozen driverless Model Y units with the AI4 hardware kit that will glide around Austin unsupervised.

Rumor has it that Tesla has tapped TSMC for its 3nm N3P chip production process and could become one of its largest customers for the node when TSMC ramps the AI5/HW5 FSD processor production later this year. Tesla is still keeping Samsung as an alternative foundry for its AI5 chip, though it will reportedly only resort to its production in 2026 when it starts shipping HW5 vehicles en masse.

It is not yet clear what other improvements will the AI5/HW5 Tesla FSD hardware kit include besides the much faster computer, but better FSD cameras are one rumored upgrade.

Samsung will reportedly supply its Weather Proof automotive cameras that have a heating element incorporated directly in the lens instead of running through the cover glass. The units still carry 8MP sensors like the cameras on the new Model Y, but can melt the ice or snow that covers them in less than a minute, which people wanting to use FSD in colder climates will certainly appreciate.

Tesla already offers a cleaning system for the front bumper camera on its newer vehicles, but the new Samsung Weather Proof cameras that may find their way into the Tesla HW5 kit also come with a 6x tougher coating that is also water-repellent. This will help wick away the droplets from the melted snow or ice from the lens surface for less image distortion when changing lanes or detecting motion, according to Samsung.

Tesla is said to start equipping its first vehicle batches with AI5/HW5 FSD hardware before the end of the year, perhaps keeping the upgrade for the holiday quarter batches to increase sales.

Elon Musk teased that the new FSD 14 version that will appear at about that time exhibits a fourfold increase across its parameters, so it remains to be seen if it will need HW5 to run. Tesla promised that it will retrofit all HW3 vehicles of those who want to try unsupervised FSD with HW4 computers for free if it can't make it run on older hardware.