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Tesla’s in-house Dojo chip teased by legendary engineer ahead of AI Day

@DennisHongRobot | Twitter

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Ahead of Tesla’s AI Day scheduled for August 19th, legendary mechanical engineer Dennis Hong has teased a picture of what could be Tesla’s Dojo Chip. While Dojo is a Supercomputer that Tesla Head of Autonomy Andrej Karpathy released photographs of recently, Dojo uses an in-house chip, according to Elon Musk, along with a computer architecture optimized for Neural Net Training.

Hong, who has been a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles Samueli School of Engineering for several years, has an interest in robotic platforms, autonomous vehicles, and machine design. Interestingly, in 2011, Hong presented a TED Talk about the possibilities of making a car for blind people. During the presentation, Hong told attendees about the DARPA Urban Challenge, where he and his team of engineers developed a fully autonomous car that would automatically reach its destination without intervention. In 2007, when the Urban Challenge was completed, Hong and Co. placed third in the competition, taking home a cool $500,000 prize to continue developing self-driving techniques, among other things.

Hong dished out some added anticipation to Tesla’s AI Day event by sending out a picture of what is likely the in-house chip that Musk talked about in September 2020. “Dojo uses our own chips,” Musk said. Unlike most automakers, Tesla aims to develop most of its software and hardware in-house, especially when it comes to its autonomy projects. While Hong was unwilling to confirm or deny what his professional relationship with Tesla is, his expertise could likely have contributed to the development of Dojo and the autonomous driving project that the company has worked on for years.

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Tesla has been developing its own chips since 2016, led by Jim Keller. Ultimately, Tesla wanted to design chips in-house so it knew all of the components and could likely sell the chip to other manufacturers later on. In 2019 at Autonomy Day, it unveiled Hardware 3.0, a chip that Elon Musk said was “objectively the best chip in the world.” Earlier this year, it was rumored that Tesla was working with Samsung to develop a new 5nm semiconductor chip that would assist with autonomous driving software.

Dojo is undoubtedly being developed in-house, but that does not mean Tesla will not attempt to gain the expertise and experience of some of the world’s most intelligent and accomplished engineers. With at least 14 years of experience in the field of self-driving cars, Hong may be the perfect candidate to help Tesla perfect and unveil the future of autonomous driving later this month. At AI Day, it is unknown what will be talked about or released as of right now, but there is obvious speculation that details regarding Tesla’s long-awaited Dojo could be released.

After announcing Dojo last year, Musk and Co. have remained relatively quiet regarding its development, but the company has continuously released updates to its Full Self-Driving Beta suite. Musk says updates will come “every 2 weeks on Friday” at midnight Pacific Standard Time.

Despite Tesla’s development and incremental improvements with nearly every software update, it is nowhere near completed. Instead, the strategy was to transition Tesla’s entire FSD strategy from what Musk called ~2.5D to 4D. Essentially, Musk wanted to transition the FSD Neural Network to a video format. Adding timestamps for more accuracy, the complexity of Dojo is likely something that will not only improve the accuracy of Tesla’s vehicles when FSD and Autopilot are operational, but it also will increase performance at a more drastic rate due to the increased rate of data capture. The massive amount of data that Dojo will comprehend requires one of the world’s strongest and most robust computer systems.

While Tesla hinted toward the release of Dojo late last year, it will not be ready until late 2021 at the earliest. It is unknown if Tesla will unveil Dojo at the event or give a simple progress update.

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet

The humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network.

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Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

When Elon Musk spoke with CNBC’s David Faber in an interview at Giga Texas, he reiterated the idea that Optimus will be one of Tesla’s biggest products. Seemingly to highlight the CEO’s point, the official Tesla Optimus account on social media platform X shared what could very well be the most impressive demonstration of the humanoid robot’s capabilities to date.

Optimus’ Newest Demonstration

In its recent video demonstration, the Tesla Optimus team featured the humanoid robot performing a variety of tasks. These include household chores such as throwing the trash, using a broom and a vacuum cleaner, tearing a paper towel, stirring a pot of food, opening a cabinet, and closing a curtain, among others. The video also featured Optimus picking up a Model X fore link and placing it on a dolly.

What was most notable in the Tesla Optimus team’s demonstration was the fact that the humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network. The robot’s actions were also learned directly from Optimus being fed data from first-person videos of humans performing similar tasks. This system should pave the way for Optimus to learn and refine new skills quickly and reliably.

Tesla VP for Optimus Shares Insight

In a follow-up post on X, Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac stated that one of the team’s goals is to have Optimus learn straight from internet videos of humans performing tasks, including footage captured in third person or by random cameras.

“We recently had a significant breakthrough along that journey, and can now transfer a big chunk of the learning directly from human videos to the bots (1st person views for now). This allows us to bootstrap new tasks much faster compared to teleoperated bot data alone (heavier operationally).

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“Many new skills are emerging through this process, are called for via natural language (voice/text), and are run by a single neural network on the bot (multi-tasking). Next: expand to 3rd person video transfer (aka random internet), and push reliability via self-play (RL) in the real-, and/or synthetic- (sim / world models) world,” Kovac wrote in his post on X.

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Starship Flight 9 nears as SpaceX’s Starbase becomes a Texan City

SpaceX’s launch site is officially incorporated as Starbase, TX. Starship Flight 9 could launch on May 27, 2025. 

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(Credit: Jenny Hautmann/Wikimedia Commons)

SpaceX’s Starbase is officially incorporated as a city in Texas, aligning with preparations for Starship Flight 9. The newly formed city in Cameron County serves as the heart of SpaceX’s Starship program.

Starbase City spans 1.5 square miles, encompassing SpaceX’s launch facility and company-owned land. A near-unanimous vote by residents, who were mostly SpaceX employees, led to its incorporation. SpaceX’s Vice President of Test and Launch, Bobby Peden, was elected mayor of Starbase. The new Texas city also has two SpaceX employees as commissioners. All Starbase officials will serve two-year terms unless extended to four by voters.

As the new city takes shape, SpaceX is preparing for the Starship Flight 9 launch, which is tentatively scheduled for May 27, 2025, at 6:30 PM CDT from Starbase, Texas.

SpaceX secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for up to 25 annual Starship and Super Heavy launches from the site. However, the FAA emphasized that “there are other licensing requirements still to be completed,” including policy, safety, and environmental reviews.

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On May 15, the FAA noted SpaceX updated its launch license for Flight 9, but added: “SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination. The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 14.”

Proposed Texas legislation could empower Starbase officials to close local highways and restrict Boca Chica Beach access during launches. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., opposes the Texas legislation, insisting beach access remain under county control. This tension highlights the balance between SpaceX’s ambitions and local interests.

Starbase’s incorporation strengthens SpaceX’s operational base as it gears up for Starship Flight 9, a critical step in its mission to revolutionize space travel. With growing infrastructure and regulatory hurdles in focus, Starbase is poised to become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s vision, blending community development with cutting-edge aerospace innovation.

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The Boring Company accelerates Vegas Loop expansion plans

The Boring Company clears fire safety delays, paving the way to accelerating its Vegas Loop expansion plans.

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Credit: The Boring Company/X

After overcoming fire safety hurdles, the Boring Company is accelerating its Vegas Loop expansion. The project’s progress signals a transformative boost for Sin City’s transportation and tourism.

Elon Musk’s tunneling company, along with The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Clark County, resolved fire safety concerns that delayed new stations.

“It’s new. It’s taken a little time to figure out what the standard should be,” said Steve Hill, LVCVA President and CEO, during last week’s board meeting. “We’ve gotten there. We’re excited about that. We’re ready to expand further, faster, than we have.”

Last month, the company submitted permits for tunnel extensions connecting Encore to a parcel of land owned by Wynn and Caesars Palace. The three tunnels are valued at $600,000 based on country records.

Plans for a Tropicana Loop are also advancing, linking UNLV to MGM Grand, T-Mobile Arena, Allegiant Stadium, Mandalay Bay, and the upcoming Athletics’ ballpark. Downtown extensions from the convention center to the Strat, Fremont Street Experience, and Circa’s Garage Mahal are also in the permitting process.

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“Those are all in process,” Hill noted. “We’ve got machines that are available to be put in the ground. I think we’ve reached a framework for how these projects are going to work and how they’ll be permitted from a safety standpoint, as well as a building standpoint.”

The Boring Company has six boring machines, with three currently active in Las Vegas. Last week, TBC announced that it successfully mined continuously in a Zero-People-in-Tunnel (ZPIT) configuration, enabling it to build more tunnels faster, safer, and at a more affordable rate.

Tunneling under Paradise Road is underway as The Boring Company works on the University Center Loop. The University Center Loop is expected to connect to the Las Vegas Convention Center within two months, linking to the Westgate tunnel. The full Vegas Loop will span 104 stations and 68 miles. Even though The Boring Company’s tunnel network in Las Vegas isn’t nearly finished, it has already become a key attraction in the city.

“It’s such a great attraction for shows that are looking at this building (convention center) and we’re going to be connected to everybody in town,” Hill said. “It’s a real difference-maker.”

A few Vegas Loop stations are already operational, including those connected to Resorts World, Westgate, Encore, and all the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop stations. The Downtown Loop, which connects to the downtown area, and the Riviera Station, the hub that leads to Resorts World with Westgate destinations, are also operational.

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As The Boring Company accelerates the Vegas Loop, its tunnels are poised to redefine mobility and tourism in Las Vegas, blending cutting-edge technology with practical urban solutions.

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