Elon Musk just made one of his boldest claims yet about Tesla Inc. (TSLA)'s future, and he really wants you to take him seriously this time. The company plans to manufacture AI chips at volumes exceeding every other chipmaker in the world combined. Yes, you read that right. Combined.

Building an AI Chip Empire From Within

Writing on X over the weekend, Musk reminded everyone that Tesla has been running an advanced in-house AI chip and board engineering operation for years now. This isn't some new side project. The team has already designed and deployed "several million" chips across Tesla's vehicle fleet and data centers, forming the technical backbone of the company's autonomous driving ambitions and real-world AI capabilities.

Right now, Tesla is shipping the fourth iteration of its proprietary chip, dubbed AI4. Meanwhile, the company is putting the finishing touches on AI5 and starting early development work on AI6. Musk's stated goal is ambitious: bring a completely new chip design into high-volume production every single year.

And then came the mic drop moment. "We expect to build chips at higher volumes ultimately than all other AI chips combined," Musk wrote. "Read that sentence again, as I'm not kidding."

The Hunt for Chip Design Talent

To back up those lofty production goals, Tesla is launching a serious hiring offensive. Musk put out a call for candidates with "exceptional ability" in AI and semiconductor engineering, asking them to send three bullet points proving their talent to AI_Chips@Tesla.com. No fluff, just proof.

The focus goes beyond just cranking out more chips. "We are particularly interested in applying cutting-edge AI to chip design," Musk explained. The idea is that these next-generation chips will "profoundly change the world" by enabling safer autonomous driving and powering future products like Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot.

Reality Check: The AI5 Timeline Slips

Here's where things get interesting. For all the big talk about annual chip cycles and industry-leading production, Tesla is actually facing some pretty significant delays. Earlier this month, Musk acknowledged that AI5 chips won't be available in meaningful volumes until mid-2027. That's a notable setback for a company that prides itself on moving fast and breaking things.

The delay highlights ongoing tension with Tesla's manufacturing partners. Musk has been publicly pressuring both Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM) and Samsung Electronics Co. (SSNLF) to accelerate their production timelines, arguing that a five-year development cycle is simply too slow for Tesla's pace of innovation.

Last October, Musk confirmed that Samsung would join TSMC in producing the AI5 chip. The dual-supplier strategy is meant to diversify Tesla's supply chain and boost overall capacity, but even with two manufacturing giants on board, the chips won't arrive as quickly as originally hoped.

While the AI5 chip promises to significantly enhance the intelligence of Tesla's vehicles, the timeline means the hardware upgrade will take considerably longer than anticipated. Musk added that Tesla expects to have samples and possibly limited quantities of the AI6 chip by 2026, but mass production won't kick off until 2027.

Looking Ahead

So what do we make of all this? Tesla is clearly doubling down on its in-house chip capabilities, positioning itself not just as a car company or even an AI company, but potentially as a major player in semiconductor manufacturing. The hiring push suggests they're serious about building out the talent and infrastructure needed to hit those production targets.

But the delays are real, and the timelines are stretching out. Promising to outbuild every AI chipmaker combined is one thing. Actually doing it while your next-gen chips are still years away from volume production is another. Then again, underestimating Musk's ability to eventually deliver on seemingly impossible promises has proven to be a bad bet before.