- Tesla Q3 deliveries of 486,532 units topped production by 22,141 vehicles, the second straight quarter of car sales growth, which analysts attributed to higher US gas prices, the EV value proposition, and Full Self-Driving software.
- Tesla is developing AI5 and AI6 inference chips with production targeted for 2027-2028, and is advancing a Terafab AI chip manufacturing effort that includes a $3 billion Austin development fab.
- CEO Elon Musk emphasized the criticality of custom onboard inference chips for rising AI compute demand, particularly for Robotaxi and Optimus, with talks ongoing with TSMC and Terafab.
- TSLA shares rose about 1.7% midday after the results, with analyst price targets mixed and some projecting upside from stronger vehicle volumes and robotaxi catalysts.
Quotes
“Tesla's Q3 deliveries of 486,532 units exceeded production by 22,141 vehicles, contributing to two consecutive quarters of car sales growth”
“Tesla is developing AI5 and AI6 inference chips, with production targeted for 2027-2028”
“amidst ongoing talks with TSMC and Terafab”