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SpaceX lends Starlink to Washington emergency services as Elon Musk talks IPO
SpaceX has provided Washington’s Emergency Management department access to Starlink satellite internet service in a bid to support the state’s emergency response to dangerous wildfires.
Though the customer is technically a military department, this is the first public announcement of the internet constellation’s use in a civil service-oriented role. In the case of Malden, WA, a tiny eastern town with roughly 200 residents, a wildfire broke out in the first week of September and all but destroyed every building in a matter of hours. No fatalities have been recorded but the town and all its critical services effectively ceased to exist by the time the first passed through.
Given the sheer scale of fire damage Washington state has suffered this summer, Malden – without power or many other utilities after the fire passed through – is likely being held together with the support of emergency services departments like WA Emergency Management. Now, with SpaceX’s help, that likely includes the ability to provide some limited internet service – perhaps in a communal center or shelter – without spending an unreasonable portion of the precious little resources most emergency response agencies have to work with.
While still firmly in the development and prototype phase, SpaceX has begun to gradually expand the scope of its beta testing as the Starlink constellation expands, building off of an already strong relationship with the US military. That helps explain why, of so many possible civil recipients, WA Emergency Management – a military department – has received access to Starlink internet services first.
As SpaceX has made sure to reiterate during its many Starlink launch webcasts, the constellation’s main target demographics are those in regions that either completely or practically lack access to reliable internet. With a low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation like Starlink, SpaceX could feasibly deliver reliable, uninterrupted internet almost anywhere on Earth, so long as a prospective user has access to enough power to run their user terminal (antenna/router). According to SpaceX’s FCC application for said terminal, A/C power input requirements should never climb above 2.5 amps from a normal 100-240v outlet.
Ultimately, the second planned phase of Starlink will see the constellation grow to a point that SpaceX can seriously begin competing with ground-based ISPs – even in densely-populated areas. For now, though, the company has made it clear that the first phase – at least several thousand satellites -will primarily focus on connecting the unconnected and substantially upgrading the capabilities of emergency responders around the world.
Confirming President/COO Gwynne Shotwell’s February 2020 comments on a possible Starlink IPO, CEO Elon Musk reiterated that SpaceX may eventually spin off Starlink and make the company public, “but only several years in the future.” This is far from surprising, as Musk has consistently expressed disdain for the challenge of running Tesla as a public company, going so far as getting himself in hot legal water in an ill-fated attempt to take the company private in 2018.
Going public is possibly the single worst thing SpaceX or any SpaceX spin-off could do, given that shareholders generally have a single goal in mind: reliable profit and reliable growth. That attitude is generally the death knell for high-uncertainty R&D programs pursuing the first low Earth orbit Internet satellite constellation, reusable orbital-class rockets, 100-person Starships, or bases on the Moon and Mars. As such, Musk notes that SpaceX will consider taking Starlink public – but if and only if Starlink reaches a point where “revenue growth is smooth & predictable.” Shotwell and Musk, in other words, are on the same page.
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Tesla AI5 chip nears completion, Elon Musk teases 9-month development cadence
The Tesla CEO shared his recent insights in a post on social media platform X.
Tesla’s next-generation AI5 chip is nearly complete, and work on its successor is already underway, as per a recent update from Elon Musk.
The Tesla CEO shared his recent insights in a post on social media platform X.
Musk details AI chip roadmap
In his post, Elon Musk stated that Tesla’s AI5 chip design is “almost done,” while AI6 has already entered early development. Musk added that Tesla plans to continue iterating rapidly, with AI7, AI8, AI9, and future generations targeting a nine-month design cycle.
He also noted that Tesla’s in-house chips could become the highest-volume AI processors in the world. Musk framed his update as a recruiting message, encouraging engineers to join Tesla’s AI and chip development teams.
Tesla community member Herbert Ong highlighted the strategic importance of the timeline, noting that faster chip cycles enable quicker learning, faster iteration, and a compounding advantage in AI and autonomy that becomes increasingly difficult for competitors to close.
AI5 manufacturing takes shape
Musk’s comments align with earlier reporting on AI5’s production plans. In December, it was reported that Samsung is preparing to manufacture Tesla’s AI5 chip, accelerating hiring for experienced engineers to support U.S. production and address complex foundry challenges.
Samsung is one of two suppliers selected for AI5, alongside TSMC. The companies are expected to produce different versions of the AI5 chip, with TSMC reportedly using a 3nm process and Samsung using a 2nm process.
Musk has previously stated that while different foundries translate chip designs into physical silicon in different ways, the goal is for both versions of the Tesla AI5 chip to operate identically. AI5 will succeed Tesla’s current AI4 hardware, formerly known as Hardware 4, and is expected to support the company’s Full Self-Driving system as well as other AI-driven efforts, including Optimus.
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Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.
The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.
The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring.
This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.
The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.
“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.
“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.
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Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.
Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.
Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.
Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error.
More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report.
Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.
Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.
Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.
“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted.
Tesla AI5 chip nears completion, Elon Musk teases 9-month development cadence
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
