韩工程师匿名指控特斯拉压价三星、索取工艺机密并为Terafab挖角，双方均未证实

Tesla's dealings with Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) are highlighting tensions between chip designers and foundries as demand for AI processors accelerates. Allegations by an engineer, which neither Tesla nor Samsung has confirmed, include pricing pressure, requests for sensitive information, and the recruitment of Samsung employees for Tesla's Terafab project.

The allegations have emerged as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has publicly praised Samsung Foundry while also discussing potential cooperation with TSMC on Terafab, a large-scale semiconductor project involving Tesla and SpaceX. The developments have raised questions over Samsung's position in Tesla's expanding AI-chip supply chain.
TSMC chairman C.C. Wei said at the company's earnings conference on October 15 that Musk had discussed cooperation with TSMC on Terafab. Wei said that, even if a fab were constructed, TSMC would control its operations. Musk has ruled out TSMC holding an equity stake in or participating in the project's operations.
Engineer levels allegations at Tesla
According to a report by Tweaktown , a South Korean semiconductor engineer accused Tesla of pressuring Samsung to reduce its quotations for AI chips, seeking sensitive internal fab information, and recruiting Samsung employees.
The engineer, who posted on X under the account @TTHUEONE, alleged that Tesla sought particularly favorable terms when it signed a foundry agreement with Samsung. The reported terms included access to sensitive manufacturing-process information, audit rights, and lower prices.
The engineer also claimed that Tesla's Terafab project had recruited a large number of employees from Samsung's fab in Austin, Texas. Neither Tesla nor Samsung has confirmed or denied the allegations.
The reported employee movement follows earlier concerns about competition for staff and suppliers. Business Post reported in March 2026 that the geographic proximity of Terafab and Samsung's facilities created a structural risk for Samsung. According to that report, Tesla had already begun recruiting semiconductor research and development engineers for the project.
Samsung has since reassigned advanced-process yield engineers from South Korea to its Taylor fab to reinforce staffing ahead of planned mass production of 2nm chips in 2027.
From memory supplier to 2nm foundry partner
Samsung's relationship with Tesla began with memory chips. The company has supplied Tesla with memory and flash memory products, including low-power LPDDR memory.
As Tesla increased investment in autonomous driving, robotics, and AI data centers, its demand for related chips grew. The companies signed a foundry agreement in 2023 for Tesla's AI4 chip, which was manufactured at Samsung's Pyeongtaek fab in South Korea and installed in mass-produced vehicles.
In 2025, Tesla and Samsung signed an order contract worth as much as US$16.5 billion, covering production of the AI5 and AI6 chip generations. Samsung's Taylor fab in Texas is expected to manufacture Tesla's next-generation 2nm AI5 chip.
Construction at Taylor accelerated amid strong AI demand. Samsung held a tool move-in ceremony on April 24, 2026, and then intensified production-line construction. On July 13, the company said design finalization had been completed, indicating that chip production at the fab had entered the wafer-manufacturing stage.
South Korean media reported that the Taylor fab moved from equipment installation to trial production in about five months. Tweaktown reported that Tesla's AI5 chip had entered trial production, with mass production targeted for 2027. Seoul Economic Daily also cited industry sources as saying that Samsung had begun trial production of Tesla's 2nm AI chips at Taylor and had entered yield verification ahead of a scheduled full-scale production start in November.
Samsung plans to complete mass-production verification by the end of 2026 and begin supplying Tesla at scale in 2027. The company is also preparing to build a second Taylor fab, with groundbreaking targeted for late 2026 and production expected around 2030; the facility will use Samsung's next-generation 1.4nm process.
Musk's recent comments have added to uncertainty around Samsung's role. He praised Micron Technology as "rational in its approach to pricing future memory chips" while criticizing other manufacturers for excessive pricing. The remarks were interpreted as an indirect reference to Samsung.
The developments underscore the growing tensions between chip designers and foundries as companies compete for AI computing capacity, manufacturing expertise, employees, and access to advanced semiconductor production.