Tesla’s AI Day, a yearly occasion for the tech-obsessed desperate to see new methods the corporate is pushing the envelope, is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 30 in Palo Alto. It is anticipated to be live-streamed on the Tesla web site and YouTube channel round 5 p.m. PT and guarantees a number of Large Musk Power.

What Is Tesla AI Day?

AI Day is mainly Tesla’s model of an Apple occasion, however reasonably than product launches, the occasion may have a forward-looking focus. It is much less about new Teslas, and extra about rising applied sciences the corporate is exploring. As Musk famous on Twitter, “this occasion is supposed for recruiting AI & robotics engineers, so can be extremely technical.” Musk would possibly even have us on Mars earlier than a number of the improvements mentioned come to fruition.

To get a really feel for what to anticipate, this is a replay of final 12 months’s two-hour livestream, during which Musk argues that Tesla is “rather more than an electrical automotive firm.”

This system options specialists from numerous Tesla groups, who deep dive into the tech behind a number of the firm’s most bold tasks. Graphs and charts abound.

Optiumus Humanoid Robotic, Maintain the Spandex

Probably the most anticipated potential reveal is a working Optimus humanoid robotic prototype. On Twitter, Musk mentioned he pushed this 12 months’s occasion from August to Sept. 30 as a result of “we could have an Optimus prototype working by then.”

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Musk “launched” the Optimus robotic ultimately 12 months’s AI Day, although the android in query was truly a dancer carrying a spandex bodysuit. Viewers can be desperate to see what progress the corporate has made since then. Finally, Musk needs to deploy “hundreds of Humanoid Robots” in Tesla factories, in response to a new job itemizing(Opens in a brand new window) for the Tesla Bot program.

Three Letters: FSD (Full Self-Driving)

Final week, Musk tweeted(Opens in a brand new window) that Tesla’s “Autopilot/AI staff can be engaged on Optimus and (truly sensible) summon/autopark, which have finish of month deadlines,” so self-driving tech is probably going on the agenda for AI Day.

Tesla has been prepping self-driving know-how for years, with combined outcomes. Autopilot is commonplace on all new Teslas, however do not let its identify idiot you: It is not an autonomous driving system, and drivers should stay alert and centered on the highway whereas Autopilot is engaged.

“When used correctly, Autopilot reduces your general workload as a driver,” Tesla says(Opens in a brand new window).

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There are three ranges(Opens in a brand new window) of self-driving Tesla tech: Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving (FSD) Functionality. The latter are added through software program updates; Enhanced Autopilot prices $6,000(Opens in a brand new window), whereas FSD is $15,000(Opens in a brand new window). As of July, Tesla had 100,000 “metropolis streets” FSD beta testers.

Autopilot consists of traffic-aware cruise management and autosteer. Enhanced Autopilot provides auto lane change, autopark, summon, and the extra advanced sensible summon. FSD ought to allow autosteer on metropolis streets, in addition to site visitors and cease signal management.

The FSD beta has been met with combined evaluations(Opens in a brand new window) and even lawsuits that declare Musk has overstated its options and never produced something close to FSD up to now. AI Day provides the prospect to offer an replace on the FSD beta that turns that notion round.

Deliver on the Robotaxis?

One utility for Tesla’s FSD performance may very well be autonomous taxis. In an April earnings name, Musk mentioned(Opens in a brand new window) he plans to deliver Tesla-based robotaxis to market by 2024. The autos can be designed for full automation, so no steering wheels or pedals.

Musk appears to suppose “a robotaxi journey will value lower than a…backed bus ticket or a backed subway ticket.” In that case, robotaxis “actually can be a large driver of Tesla’s development,” he mentioned.

FSD for present Tesla drivers appears to be the extra fast precedence, however 2024 is simply across the nook, so we could hear extra at AI Day. And if Tesla branches out into water taxis, the long-awaited Cybertruck could possibly assist there, Musk joked immediately:

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Extra Mojo for Dojo

Venkataraman holds up the D1 chip at AI Day 2021.
(Credit score: YouTube)

Tesla’s FSD module is powered by a supercomputer referred to as Dojo, which runs on a layered chip referred to as D1. Challenge lead Ganesh Venkataraman confirmed it off ultimately 12 months’s AI Day, and final month, Tesla launched some deep-dive docs on the tech, Electrek experiences(Opens in a brand new window), so the “extremely technical” a part of Friday’s AI Day will in all probability embody extra particulars on Dojo.