Elon Musk used Tesla's latest earnings call to thank three chipmakers — Samsung, TSMC, and Micron — an unusual gesture from an automaker as an AI-driven shortage makes memory chips harder to secure. Musk said Micron had allocated a significant amount of memory under reasonable terms, though the details remain undisclosed.
Elon Musk turned part of Tesla's Wednesday earnings call into a thank-you to three companies with little to do with traditional automaking: Samsung, TSMC, and Micron.
Musk praised Samsung and TSMC before turning to the third chipmaker. According to Business Insider, he said: "I'd also like to thank Micron for giving us a memory allocation", adding that the company faced tough decisions on how to divide its memory.
Micron and Samsung rank among the world's largest makers of DRAM, the short-term memory computers use to process data quickly. These chips have become one of the AI boom's most in-demand components — and harder to buy at reasonable prices.
The rapid build-out of AI data centers has consumed huge amounts of memory. Manufacturers have also shifted production toward high-bandwidth memory, a more advanced and profitable form of DRAM used with AI processors, which leaves less capacity for conventional chips. As buyers compete for limited allocations, the shortage has pushed manufacturing prices higher.
That squeeze has reached shoppers, too. Computer and video game makers have raised prices, while smartphone makers such as Apple have announced increases.
Tesla needs memory throughout its vehicles, and its appetite is poised to grow as it spends billions on AI infrastructure, robotaxis, and its Optimus humanoid robots. Musk said Micron had allocated a significant amount of memory under reasonable terms, though neither company has detailed the products, prices, or length of the arrangement. Over the past month, Micron has also partnered with General Motors and Ford to keep supplying automotive chips.
Source: Business Insider
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