Elon Musk’s Vision for Tesla: An AI Company

The Mission

Elon Musk does not want Tesla to be just an automaker. He envisions Tesla as an AI company that has successfully developed self-driving cars. This mission is crucial to achieving full autonomy in vehicles.

The Role of Dojo

To achieve this goal, Tesla has developed a custom-built supercomputer called Dojo. Dojo is designed to train the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) neural networks. FSD is not fully self-driving, but it can perform some automated driving tasks. However, Tesla believes that with more data, compute power, and training, it can cross the threshold from almost self-driving to full self-driving.

The Importance of Dojo

Musk has been teasing Dojo for some time, but the executive has ramped up discussions about the supercomputer throughout 2024. In 2025, another supercomputer called Cortex has entered the conversation, but Dojo’s importance to Tesla might still be existential. With EV sales slumping, investors want assurances that Tesla can achieve autonomy.

Timeline of Dojo Mentions and Promises

2019

• January 29: Tesla’s Q4 and full-year 2024 earnings call did not mention Dojo. However, Cortex, Tesla’s new AI training supercluster at the Austin gigafactory, was announced.

2024

• August 3: TechCrunch reported on Tesla’s Dojo, a custom-built supercomputer designed to train FSD neural networks.
• August 10: This story was originally published, and it was updated as new information developed.

2025

• As of 2025, another supercomputer called Cortex has entered the conversation, but Dojo’s importance to Tesla might still be existential.

Key Takeaways

• Dojo is a custom-built supercomputer designed to train FSD neural networks.
• Cortex is another AI training supercluster at the Austin gigafactory.
• Tesla believes that with more data, compute power, and training, it can achieve full autonomy in vehicles.
• Investors want assurances that Tesla can achieve autonomy, which is why Dojo’s importance might still be existential.