Danny Weber
13:43 21-11-2025
© A. Krivonosov
Tesla delays its AI5 Autopilot supercomputer to mid-2027, pushing Cybercab to launch on current AI4 hardware in 2026. What it means for robotaxi autonomy.
Tesla is once again reworking its roadmap for key technologies. Elon Musk has confirmed that the company’s next in-house supercomputer for Autopilot, AI5, will not be available in the necessary volumes until mid-2027. As a result, the robotaxi Cybercab planned for 2026 will debut on the current AI4 platform—the same hardware found in today’s Model S, 3, X, and Y.
The delay is substantial. Back in 2024, Musk said AI5 would arrive in the second half of 2025 and be ten times more powerful than the current generation. Now the company says it needs to build up several hundred thousand finished boards before it can shift production to the new processor.
This change collides with the vision for Cybercab—a fully autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel and pedals. Since AI4 is not yet capable of delivering true self-driving, the robotaxi could end up limited in what it can actually do. In this context, Tesla’s chair recently allowed for the possibility of adding a steering wheel and pedals, though Musk publicly rejected that option.
The AI5 setback also has a flip side: Tesla will spend more time refining its software for existing hardware rather than tapping the higher ceiling of the new system. At the same time, owners of current Teslas are unlikely to feel left behind in the near term—the gap between generations will be narrower.
Even so, pushing back a cornerstone technology once more inevitably raises questions about the company’s bold promises of full autonomy. And if Tesla does release Cybercab with no driver controls, it would amount to the brand’s riskiest bet so far—a high-wire move with little margin for error.