Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently met with several Samsung Electronics executives, including Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong. The meeting took place at Samsung Semiconductor’s US R&D Labs, as per an announcement made by the tech giant on Sunday.
This was the first private meeting between Musk and Lee. The agenda included discussions about future cooperation in autonomous driving and semiconductor production.
Musk is known for his role in Tesla, the world’s largest electric car company, and also for his involvement in other innovative ventures. These include Starlink, a next-generation satellite communication company, SpaceX, a space exploration company, and brain-machine startup Neuralink. Musk is also involved in The Boring Company, a transportation startup, and Twitter, a social media platform.
Samsung and Tesla have a history of collaboration, particularly in the development of next-generation IT technology, including semiconductors for autonomous vehicles. Samsung and Tesla have worked together on the development of chips designed for autonomous driving, as reported by The Korea Herald.
Samsung has also been making strides in the automotive semiconductor market. The tech giant has secured orders from industry leaders such as Nvidia and Mobileye. The recent meeting with Tesla executives could suggest that Samsung is looking to add Tesla to its client list.
However, Samsung may have to prepare for some competition. Reports from late last year suggested that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) was already on the shortlist to become Tesla’s supplier of choice for its next-generation Full Self-Driving (FSD) computer. TSMC was reportedly planning to supply Tesla with chips produced using 4 nm and 5 nm processes.
The pace of updates in the systems and hardware that Tesla uses is more akin to that of a tech company than a traditional automaker. Considering that Tesla is striving to solve autonomous driving, the company would likely require the best that the chip industry has to offer for years to come. This effectively makes Tesla one of the most lucrative clients for companies like Samsung Electronics and TSMC.
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