Tesla cuts RAM on AI5 and AI6 chips to speed Optimus production

Tesla is putting its next-generation AI chips on a memory diet. On October 1, 2026, Elon Musk said the AI5 chip will now ship with 72GB of LPDDR5 RAM, while the AI6 chip’s memory is being cut by one-third to 144GB of LPDDR6. The goal is volume and cost, specifically for the Optimus humanoid robot. Musk’s pitch is that the robots won’t notice, because capacity was never the real bottleneck. What Tesla changed, and why Musk says it won’t hurt Earlier specifications for AI5 had pointed to RAM allocations above 144GB. The new figure of 72GB is a sharp step down from those expectations. AI6, the follow-up chip, is getting a smaller trim. Its memory drops by a third, landing at 144GB of LPDDR6. Musk’s central argument is that memory bandwidth, not total memory capacity, is what actually limits performance. He expects no significant impact on how the robots perform. Per the research findings, the redesign kept critical bandwidth performance in place while trimming capacity. Where AI5 and AI6 fit in Tesla’s chip roadmap AI5 was completed ahead of schedule, with its tape-out happening in April 2026. Tape-out is the point where a chip design is finalized and sent off for manufacturing. Notab...