Tesla’s partnership with Samsung continues to deepen. It was recently announced that Samsung will manufacture Tesla’s new AI5 self-driving chip, which will be used in the company's future electric cars. New reports now suggest that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is taking a direct interest in the chip’s manufacturing process.

According to a report from Dealsite, Samsung Foundry, the semiconductor manufacturing division of Samsung Electronics, will soon begin pilot production of Tesla’s AI5 chip at its facility in Taylor, Texas. Initial chip samples are reportedly be ready in the first half of this year. Elon Musk is said to be closely involved in the process, participating in executive meetings related to production and personally monitoring progress.

Reports indicate that Musk regularly reviews updates from these meetings and shares his input. He has previously emphasized Tesla’s close working relationship with Samsung. It recently signed a deal to buy ESS batteries from Samsung's battery division.

Mass production of the AI5 chip had been expected to begin in the second half of this year. However, because Tesla appears to have completed the design phase earlier than anticipated, Samsung may need to move up its manufacturing timeline. Full-scale mass production is now reportedly planned for 2027.

Samsung Foundry currently produces Tesla’s AI4 chips using its 7nm LPP process. A few months ago, the company bagged a $16.5 billion order to manufacture AI6 chips using its 2nm process. Tesla later announced that some AI5 chips would also be produced by Samsung using a 4nm process. Initially, production of AI5 chips had been assigned solely to TSMC, but part of the order was later shifted to Samsung Foundry.

Tesla’s AI6 chips are expected to be used not only in the company’s electric vehicles but also in autonomous taxis, humanoid robots, and AI servers.

Before securing Tesla’s recent orders, Samsung Foundry had faced challenges in attracting major clients. However, confidence in Samsung’s manufacturing capabilities appears to have improved following the start of mass production of the Exynos 2600 using its 2nm process.

After Tesla, Qualcomm is also reportedly considering Samsung’s 2nm process for some of its high-end chips. A 2nm version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite series chip is reportedly in the works for future high-end Galaxy phones.