Latest news with #ex-Tesla
Time of India
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Tesla chief Elon Musk redirects AI talent after Dojo shutdown
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Days after tech billionaire Elon Musk announced the shutdown of Tesla 's in-house artificial intelligence (AI) training platform Dojo, the company has reportedly reassigned its engineering staff, Bloomberg reported on shutdown on August 7 led to employees being redistributed across different teams within report added that several software-focussed personnel now report to Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla's artificial intelligence (AI) efforts across robotaxis and humanoid engineers in the semiconductor unit report to Aaron Rodgers, who oversees hardware for Tesla's autonomous driving efforts, whereas firmware staff are led by Silvio Brugada, who has taken charge of the security engineering role at the EV giant. ET reported on August 8 that Dojo's team leader, Peter Bannon, is leaving the company and that other team members will be moved to other data centres and computing projects at change came after about 20 people left Tesla to launch their own AI company, DensityAI . The startup was founded by former Dojo head Ganesh Venkataramanan and ex-Tesla engineers Bill Chang and Ben down Dojo marks a big change in Tesla's strategy. Musk had long said that Dojo would be key to the company's AI goals and its path to full self-driving. He even mentioned it briefly during Tesla's second quarter earnings call, according to Musk said in a post on X that it no longer made sense to split resources between two AI chip architectures, adding that the focus will now be on Tesla's own AI5 and AI6 chips.
Mint
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Mint
Tesla Reshuffles Engineers After Abruptly Ending Dojo AI Project
(Bloomberg) -- Tesla Inc. reassigned engineering staff in moves impacting multiple teams after Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk disbanded the electric-vehicle maker's in-house chip and supercomputer project. The defunct operation, known as Dojo, has been split into parts, with personnel being distributed across several groups. At least some software-focused personnel now report to Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla's AI efforts across robotaxis and humanoid robots, according to people familiar with the matter. Other engineers working on silicon or semiconductors report to Aaron Rodgers, who oversees hardware for Tesla's autonomous driving efforts and is responsible for its AI5 chip, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing internal changes. Firmware staff are now under Silvio Brugada, who's led security engineering and assumed more responsibility after David Lau departed from his role as head of software engineering. Representatives of Tesla and Musk didn't respond to requests for comment. The moves show how Tesla is regrouping after abruptly ending the Dojo project, which revolved around an in-house artificial-intelligence supercomputer for developing driverless-vehicle technology. After Bloomberg News first reported the decision last week, Musk confirmed it on social media, saying on Aug. 10, 'I had to shut down Dojo and make some tough personnel choices.' While he didn't name any individuals involved, Bloomberg reported that Dojo leader Peter Bannon has left the company. The reshuffling also underscores the growing stature of Elluswamy, who now jointly leads Tesla's programs in AI across autonomous driving and humanoid robotics. A former Autopilot engineer who was named vice president of AI software last year, Elluswamy assumed responsibility for the Optimus robot program following the departure of Milan Kovac in recent months. It wasn't immediately clear how many Dojo engineers have left Tesla in total. Startup DensityAI which has just come out of stealth, has hired around 20 senior and experienced Tesla engineers, Bloomberg has reported. The company was founded by Ganesh Venkataramanan — the former head of Tesla's Dojo team who left in late 2023 — and ex-Tesla employees Bill Chang and Ben Floering. More stories like this are available on
NDTV
4 days ago
- Automotive
- NDTV
Meet Ex-Tesla Executive Ganesh Venkataramanan Who Is Building DensityAI
Indian-origin former Tesla executive Ganesh Venkataramanan has founded DensityAI, an AI startup developing chips, hardware, and software to power data centres for automotive, robotics, and AI applications. The company, preparing to exit stealth mode, is in talks to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, according to a Bloomberg report. Co-founders include ex-Tesla engineers Bill Chang and Ben Floering, with about 20 ex-members of Tesla's Dojo team, including senior staff, joining the venture. Talent from across the tech industry has also been recruited. The company is developing chips, hardware, and software for AI-focused data centres. Former Tesla investor relations chief Martin Viecha has signed on as an adviser. Who Is Ganesh Venkataramanan? Ganesh Venkataramanan earned a BE in Electronics from the University of Mumbai in 1995. He briefly worked at Hexaware Technologies before pursuing further studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, as per his LinkedIn. He started working at Analog Devices in 1998, helping design advanced computer chips used in electronics. In the early 2000s, he moved to AMD, where he spent almost 15 years leading the creation of powerful computer processors and managing a team of over 200 engineers. In 2016, he joined Tesla as Director of Autopilot Hardware, building the Silicon team from scratch and launching the industry's first Full Self-Driving (FSD) chip and computer. He became Senior Director of Autopilot Hardware in 2018, leading the concept-to-production of Tesla's Dojo Supercomputers for AI training and data centre infrastructure. He is currently based in Santa Clara, California. Tesla's Dojo project, once led by Mr Venkataramanan, builds custom chips and servers to train neural networks for self-driving and robotics. News of the startup's launch came as Tesla shares ended flat in postmarket trading. Density AI is targeting a significant gap in AI infrastructure, offering automakers a plug-and-play solution for the vast compute needs of self-driving systems, including tasks like sensor fusion, simulation, and edge computing.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Tesla shuts down its AI training supercomputer Dojo, loses 20 key execs to company founded by Ganesh Venkataramanan
Tesla is reportedly dissolving its Dojo supercomputer team, abandoning its in-house chip development for autonomous driving technology. According to a report by Bloomberg, - Tesla Inc. is disbanding its Dojo team and its leader will leave the company, according to people familiar with the matter, upending the automaker's effort to build an in-house supercomputer for developing driverless-vehicle technology. The Dojo shutdown coincides with Tesla's board offering Elon Musk a $29 billion compensation package to prioritize Tesla's AI goals over his other ventures, including xAI, a pure-play AI company. Meet DensityAI, AI startup founded by former Dojo head Ganesh Venkataramanan The move marks a significant pivot for the automaker, which has increasingly leaned on external partners like Nvidia, AMD, and Samsung for its AI and compute needs. Peter Bannon, the lead of the Dojo project, is leaving Tesla, and the remaining team members will reportedly be reassigned to other data center and compute initiatives within the company, the report said citing anonymous sources. The decision follows the exit of approximately 20 Dojo team members who left to form DensityAI, a new AI startup founded by former Dojo head Ganesh Venkataramanan , alongside ex-Tesla employees Bill Chang and Ben Floering. DensityAI is preparing to exit stealth mode and is focused on developing chips, hardware, and software to power AI-driven data centers for robotics, AI agents, and automotive applications. The startup aims to address high-performance computing needs with an emphasis on scalable, energy-efficient solutions for next-generation AI workloads. As Tesla recalibrates, DensityAI's emergence could reshape the AI hardware landscape, leveraging the expertise of former Dojo engineers to challenge established players in the AI data center space. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 75% off installation and replacement for LeafFilter LeafFilter Gutter Protection Get Rates Undo What makes shutting down of Dojo important The disbanding of Dojo comes at a pivotal moment for Tesla. CEO Elon Musk has been repositioning Tesla as an AI and robotics company, despite challenges with its limited robotaxi launch in Austin in June 2025. The launch, which involved Model Y vehicles with a human co-pilot, faced criticism after reports of erratic driving behavior. Dojo, first announced in 2019, was pitched as the backbone of Tesla's AI ambitions, particularly for achieving full self-driving (FSD) by processing vast amounts of video data. Musk highlighted Dojo as recently as Tesla's Q2 2025 earnings call, though his focus shifted to Cortex, a new AI training supercluster at Tesla's Austin headquarters. Dojo combined a supercomputer with Tesla's in-house D1 chip, unveiled at AI Day 2021. Presented by Venkataramanan, the D1 was designed to work alongside Nvidia GPUs to power Dojo, with a next-gen D2 chip planned to address data flow bottlenecks. In 2023, Morgan Stanley estimated Dojo could add $500 billion to Tesla's market value by enabling robotaxi services and software revenue. However, by August 2024, Musk's rhetoric pivoted to Cortex, signaling a strategic shift. Tesla is looking externally Tesla's reliance on external partners is growing. A $16.5 billion deal with Samsung, signed last month, will produce Tesla's AI6 inference chips, designed to scale from FSD and Optimus humanoid robots to high-performance AI training. Tesla is also deepening ties with Nvidia for compute power and AMD for additional chip solutions. During the Q2 earnings call, Musk hinted at streamlining efforts, suggesting convergence between Dojo 3 and the AI6 chip to avoid redundancies. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
NDTV
08-08-2025
- Automotive
- NDTV
Tesla Shuts Down Dojo Supercomputer Team. Here's Why
Tesla Inc. is disbanding its Dojo supercomputer team and its leader will depart the company, according to people familiar with the matter, upending the automaker's effort to develop in-house chips for driverless technology. Peter Bannon, who was heading up Dojo, is leaving and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has ordered the effort to be shut down, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. The team has lost about 20 workers recently to newly formed DensityAI, and remaining Dojo workers are being reassigned to other data center and compute projects within Tesla, the people said. Tesla plans to increase its reliance on external technology partners, including Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. for computers, and Samsung Electronics Co. for chip manufacturing, the people said. Tesla, Musk and Bannon didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. The decision marks a major shift for a program years in the making, with Dojo once positioned as central to Tesla's multibillion-dollar plan to gain computing muscle in the artificial intelligence race. The Dojo system is a Tesla-designed supercomputer used to train the machine-learning models behind the electric-vehicle maker's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving programs, as well as its Optimus humanoid robot. The computer takes in data captured by vehicles and rapidly processes it to improve the company's algorithms. Analysts have said Dojo could be a key competitive advantage, with Morgan Stanley estimating in 2023 it could add $500 billion to Tesla's value. DensityAI, which is poised to come out of stealth soon, is working on chips, hardware and software that will power data centers for AI that are used in robotics, by AI agents and in automotive applications, among other sectors, Bloomberg reported this week. The company was founded by Ganesh Venkataramanan - the former head of Dojo - and ex-Tesla employees Bill Chang and Ben Floering. Tesla's shares extended postmarket declines after Bloomberg's report, trading down less than 1% as of 5:29 pm in New York. Talent Drain Tesla has faced an exodus of key talent this year as it has grappled with rising competition, falling sales and a consumer backlash to Musk's political activity. Milan Kovac, the head of engineering for Optimus, and David Lau, vice president of software engineering, departed earlier this year, while Bloomberg reported in June that longtime Musk confidant Omead Afshar had abruptly left. The EV maker last month reached a $16.5 billion deal with Samsung to secure AI semiconductors through 2033. The plan is for an upcoming plant in Texas to produce Tesla's next-generation AI6 chip, diversifying Tesla's sourcing beyond leading chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Musk hinted at a strategic pivot during Tesla's most-recent quarterly earnings call, suggesting future iterations of the company's in-house technology could converge with that of its partners. "Thinking about Dojo 3 and the AI6 inference chip, it seems like intuitively, we want to try to find convergence there, where it's basically the same chip," Musk said on the July 23 call. Tesla's CEO last year acknowledged that the company might not pursue Dojo in perpetuity and instead lean more on external partners. "We're pursuing the dual path of Nvidia and Dojo," Musk said in January 2024. "But I would think of Dojo as a long shot. It's a long shot worth taking because the payoff is potentially very high." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
