Tesla Announces New AI4+ FSD Computer With More Memory and Compute

During Tesla’s Q1 2026 earnings call, the company revealed a forthcoming Full Self-Driving computer that will arrive ahead of AI5. Instead of deploying AI5 to vehicles in the near term, Tesla plans an interim upgrade to the current AI4 (Hardware 4) FSD computer. The new chip, referred to as "HW4.1" or "HW4+," is officially in the design phase.

Doubling the Memory

The most notable change on the updated board is a large increase in memory capacity. HW4.1 will include 32GB of RAM, twice the 16GB in the current Hardware 4. This is per system-on-a-chip (SOC), effectively making HW4 64GB instead of 32GB.

This increase is important for the future of Tesla’s autonomy program. As Full Self-Driving transitions into v15 and beyond, the end-to-end neural networks will become larger and more complex. Tesla has faced memory limitations for some time, so this upgrade is logical. A key question is whether FSD models will begin to diverge again, as they did between HW3 and HW4.

Providing the vehicle with 32GB of memory allows the system to cache more high-resolution video data and process larger AI models simultaneously. During the call, Tesla also said that FSD v15 will also arrive on HW4 vehicles and won’t be limited to HW4+ or AI5.

Compute and Bandwidth Improvements

Alongside the memory increase, the new hardware revision will deliver a 10 percent boost in overall compute power and a 10 percent increase in memory bandwidth.

While a 10 percent gain in raw compute is modest compared to a full generational leap, the higher memory bandwidth enables faster transfer of dense data from the high-resolution camera suite to the neural network processor, lowering latency and improving reaction times.

Release Date

To bring the updated silicon to market, Tesla is relying on existing manufacturing partners. Samsung is handling the physical modifications and design work needed to support larger memory modules and greater bandwidth on the board.

Elon Musk stated that production of the HW4.1 upgraded computer will only take place in the middle of next year, around the same timeframe previously indicated for AI5. However, Tesla says AI5 will first be used for Optimus and data centers.

No News on Upgrades

For current owners, there is no indication of an upgrade path for vehicles equipped with the standard 16GB HW4 computers. Because the RAM is soldered to the board, a full board replacement would be necessary.

Given Tesla’s history with mid-cycle hardware refreshes and the complexity of swapping core vehicle computers, buyers should expect HW4.1 to be a forward-looking production change rather than a retrofit.