Ganesh Venkataramanan, Tesla’s project lead for its ambitious Dojo supercomputer project for the past five years, has left the company. Bloomberg reported this development, stating that the news was confirmed by sources familiar with the matter. Peter Bannon, a former executive at Apple Inc. and a director at Tesla for the last seven years, has now taken the helm of the project.
Venkataramanan's departure from Tesla last month is now stirring conversations about the potential impacts on Tesla's future initiatives. His contributions to the Dojo project have been pivotal, especially in designing the custom D1 chip that powers the supercomputer. Venkataramanan, with his extensive experience, including a significant tenure at Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), was a crucial asset in setting up Tesla’s AI hardware and silicon teams in 2016.
Dojo: A Cornerstone for Tesla’s Self-Driving Aspirations
The Dojo supercomputer is a critical element of Tesla's strategy to enhance its self-driving capabilities. Designed to train machine learning models integral to Tesla's autonomous systems, Dojo processes vast amounts of data captured by Tesla vehicles. This rapid data processing is essential for improving the company’s algorithms, with analysts suggesting that Dojo could be a significant competitive advantage for Tesla. In a recent estimation by Morgan Stanley, the project could potentially add $500 billion to Tesla’s value.
Elon Musk has been vocal about the company's commitment to the Dojo project, planning an investment exceeding $1 billion by the end of 2024. The project's importance was underscored in Tesla's decision to shift from relying on Nvidia Corp.’s supercomputers to developing Dojo, poised to rival systems from Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. and IBM.
Looking Ahead: Impact and Future Prospects
The recent leadership changes raise questions about the future direction of the Dojo project. Venkataramanan's exit, coupled with the departure of another critical artificial intelligence player from Tesla last year, Andrej Karpathy, signals a transition period for the company’s AI and self-driving teams.
However, Tesla's robust talent pool, blending experienced and emerging professionals, offers a silver lining. Bannon's promotion to lead the Dojo project is seen as a strategic move, leveraging his experience and insights gained from his tenure at Apple. Moreover, the recent installation of Dojo hardware in Palo Alto, California, marks a step forward in centralizing and enhancing the project’s capabilities.
Tesla’s ambitions for Dojo extend to making it one of the world’s top supercomputers. The company envisions reaching a computational capability of 100 exaflops* by October 2024, a testament to its commitment to advancing artificial intelligence and self-driving technology.
* Confused about "exaflops?" "Flops" stands for Floating Point Operations Per Second. It's a way to measure how fast a computer can process data. "Exa" means a billion billion, or 1, followed by 18 zeros (1,000,000,000,000,000,000). So, when we say a computer can perform 100 exaflops, it can do 100 billion billion calculations per second. That's incredibly fast!
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Tesla has quietly launched a new monthly subscription service in the United States for windshield protection. This is separate from the recently announced Extended Service Agreement, an extended warranty that is paid for monthly.
This new plan specifically targets one of the most common and costly repairs: windshield damage, which is not covered by the extended warranty.
This new plan is a nice addition for users who prefer peace of mind, but it comes with some very specific and time-sensitive eligibility windows that all new owners should be aware of.
Coverage & Cost
For a flat monthly fee that varies by model, the Windshield Protection Plan provides comprehensive coverage for the front windshield, including the use of Tesla OEM glass and any required Autopilot camera calibrations.
The benefits include:
One free windshield replacement every 12-month period with no deductible
Any additional replacements incur a $100 co-pay per replacement
Unlimited chip and minor crack repairs
Tesla varies the pricing based on your vehicle:
Model 3 / Model Y: $12 per month
Model S: $15 per month
Model X: $23 per month
Who is Eligible and When?
This is the most crucial part to take away here.
You must enroll within 30 days of taking delivery of a new or used Tesla vehicle.
This is a very tight window, so new owners interested in the plan will need to subscribe pretty quickly. However, Tesla does offer alternative ways to get into the program.
Alternative Ways to Join
If you paid for a replacement windshield at Tesla, you also have 30 days to join the program. Likewise, if your vehicle passes a complimentary vehicle inspection, Tesla will also offer you the ability to join the program.
Although the complimentary inspection isn’t available yet, Tesla expects to begin offering the program sometime around July 2025. For now, the plan is only available in the US, similar to the new Extended Service Agreement Subscription. However, Tesla has announced plans to roll it out to other regions shortly, starting with Canada and Mexico.
No Cybertruck Coverage
Just as with the ESA, the Cybertruck is left out. The new Windshield Protection Plan isn’t being offered on the Cybertruck.
This exclusion is particularly important given the high cost of replacing a windshield for the Cybertruck. Out-of-pocket replacement costs exceed $2,300 USD. For now, Cybertruck owners will have to rely on their standard auto insurance for coverage.
How to Subscribe
Enrolling in the Extended Service Agreement or the Windshield Protection plan is handled directly within the Tesla App. If your vehicle is eligible, you’ll be able to navigate to Upgrades > Service Plans > Windshield Protection to review the terms and subscribe.
Once the complimentary inspection is available, you’ll be able to subscribe in person at a Tesla service center as well.
This new plan offers an affordable way for owners to hedge against one of the most common, frustrating, and expensive repair costs, and is expected to be a popular add-on.
Tesla has introduced a new, more flexible and affordable way for owners to get peace of mind after their factory warranty ends. This new service is a monthly subscription that replaces the previous Extended Service Agreement (ESA) in the United States.
The new subscription model makes it more appealing to owners, as it avoids a large upfront payment. This new subscription also offers better coverage terms than before.
Longer Coverage, Better Flexibility
The biggest upgrade in this new format of the ESA is the length of the coverage. The old prepaid ESA was limited to just two years or 25,000 miles beyond the factory warranty, for a total of up to 75,000 miles.
The new monthly program doubles the potential coverage period, offering protection for up to four additional years beyond the factory warranty, or until the vehicle reaches 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Coming from a basic vehicle warranty of 4 years or 50,000 miles, this is a huge jump up in customer protection.
Pricing & Deductible
The monthly price is simple, but it varies depending on the model. The Model 3 is the most affordable at just $50 per month, while the Model X is the most expensive at $150 per month.
Model 3: $50 / month
Model Y: $60 / month
Model S: $125 / month
Model X: $150 / month
However, Tesla will also charge a $100 deductible for each service visit that covers an included repair, on top of the monthly subscription fee.
Exclusions
The ESA is an exclusionary warranty, meaning it covers the repair or replacement needed to correct a failure of most parts manufactured or supplied by Tesla. However, there are some parts not covered under the ESA, which include:
Issues arising from accidents, modifications, or environmental damage
Essentially, the ESA is designed to cover the components other than the drivetrain. That includes the touchscreen, computers, heat pumps, suspension, or other non-drivetrain electronics that aren’t covered after the 4-year basic warranty.
Tesla vehicles come with an extensive battery and drivetrain warranty that covers these items for up to 8 years. The maximum mileage varies by model. RWD Model 3 and Model Ys are covered for the first 100k miles, while Long Range Model 3s and Ys are covered up to 120k miles. The Model S and Model X are covered for up to 150,000 miles or 8 years.
Eligibility and Sign-Up
Eligibility for the new ESA subscription is pretty clear-cut.
Your vehicle must be within its 4-year / 50,000-mile Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty. Tesla will send customers whose basic warranty is about to expire a notification approximately 3 months before the time-based expiry.
The subscription is not available for leased vehicles or vehicles that were purchased used. Tesla plans to offer eligibility to customers who purchase their vehicle at the end of a lease by the end of 2025, and for used vehicle customers in the near future.
The Cybertruck, due to its relatively newness to the market, doesn’t have access to the ESA quite yet - but it will be coming “in the near future.” For Canada and Mexico in particular, the ESA is not yet available, but Tesla has confirmed plans to bring this subscription to other regions soon.
Subscribing is done through the Tesla App. Tap Upgrades> Service Plans > Extended Service Agreement. Once you review the terms and the monthly fee, you can then hit Subscribe and confirm your payment information.
If the ESA is not visible, your vehicle is not eligible for the subscription.
Payments for the ESA only begin once your original warranty has expired. However, you can sign up at any time, and payments will automatically start when your factory warranty expires.
Other Service Plans
Tesla also offers a Windshield Protection Plan and a Wheel and Tire Protection Plan, if you didn’t already know. Both of these plans are subscription-based and are currently only available in the United States. However, Tesla has indicated that it plans to expand to other regions in the near future.
