Musk holds video call with Lee Jae-yong…"Discussing partnership, honored to work together"

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, stated that he discussed specific cooperation plans via video call with Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, in relation to the approximately ₩22.8 trillion semiconductor foundry supply agreement signed with Samsung Electronics.

On the 29th (local time), Musk revealed this through his X (formerly Twitter) account in response to a user's comment pointing out that "Samsung Electronics is unaware of Tesla's future semiconductor production plans." This user shared Musk's previous post on the 27th, which stated, "Samsung has agreed to help Tesla maximize manufacturing efficiency," and insisted, "Samsung has no idea what they signed." Musk replied in the comments, "They know," and added, "I had a video call with the Chairman and senior management of Samsung to discuss what a true partnership will look like." He continued, "We will utilize the strengths of both companies to achieve excellent results."

In response to another user's comment saying, "Samsung Electronics is behind Taiwan’s TSMC in chip manufacturing technology. It remains to be seen whether Samsung can realize the new 2-nanometer (nm; 1nm = one-billionth of a meter) technology applied to Tesla’s AI6 chip. If Samsung fails, AI6 might also be produced with TSMC," Musk praised Samsung, saying, "Both TSMC and Samsung are excellent companies. It is an honor to work with them."

The previous day, following the announcement of the ₩22.8 trillion foundry contract by Samsung Electronics, Musk disclosed through his X account that Tesla is the counterpart to Samsung’s contract. He said, "Samsung’s large new factory in Texas will be dedicated to producing Tesla’s next-generation AI6 chips," and emphasized, "The strategic importance of this cannot be overstated." He further mentioned, "The $16.5 billion figure is only a minimum," and suggested the possibility of additional contracts by noting, "Actual output is likely to be several times higher."

Kim Chae-yeon, why29@hankyung.com