By Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin
The CEO of Seoul (Reuters) -Tesla Elon Musk said the US carmaker has signed a $ 16.5 billion deal for a source of Samsung Electronics chips, with a move expected to increase the Losses of Losses on South Korean Technology Giant.
Samsung’s shares jumped up to 6.8% to the highest since September last year after the news of the deal. Tesla’s shares increased 1.9% in the US trading in US.
Musk said the new Samsung chip factory in Taylor, Texas, will make an AI6 chip from Tesla’s next -generation, potentially recharge with the project that faces long delays in the background of Samsung’s difficulties while maintaining and attracting big customers.
“Samsung has agreed to allow Tesla to help increase the efficiency of production. This is a critical moment as I will personally walk on the line to speed up the pace of progress. And FAB is comfortably located not far from my house,” Musk said in a post on Monday.
“The $ 16.5B number is just the largest minimum. The actual outcome will probably be several times higher,” he said in another publication.
According to a senior analyst at NH Investment & Securities, Samsung’s Taylor Fab, “Samsung has not had any customers, so this order is quite meaningful.”
In October, Reuters announced that Samsung had postponed to accept supplies of ASML chip equipment for its Texas factory as it has not yet won big customers for the project. It has already delayed the operating start of the plant by 2026.
Potential time line of production
Although no timeline for the production of AI6 chips has been provided, Musk has previously stated that next-generation chips will be produced at the end of 2026, suggesting that AI6 will follow.
Lee Dong-Ju, an analyst at SK Securities, is expecting production in 2027 or 2028, but Tesla has a history of lack of its goals.
Samsung is currently making Tesla’s AI4 chips that power their full self -driving assistant, while TSMC is planned to make AI5, originally in Taiwan and then Arizona, Musk said.
Samsung, the best chip manufacturer in the world, also produces logical chips designed by customers through his foundry business. The Texas project is central to the strategy of Samsung President JJ J. Lee to extend beyond his memory for bread and butter in the production of contractual chips.
It holds only 8% of the worldwide foundry market, far behind the TSMC industry leader, which has a 67% share, data from the TrendForce market show.
Samsung has earlier announced the $ 16.5 billion chip delivery deal without naming the customer, stating that the customer has requested confidentiality regarding the details of the transaction, which will continue until the end of 2033.