Elon Musk took a moment during Tesla's earnings call on Wednesday to thank three companies that have little to do with traditional automaking.
Musk praised Samsung and TSMC during the call, and then turned to another company that manufactures semiconductor chips. "I'd also like to thank Micron for giving us a memory allocation," he said. "They've got to make some very tough decisions on memory allocation."
It was perhaps the most 2026 moment of the call.
Micron and Samsung are two of the world's largest manufacturers of DRAM, the short-term memory that allows computers to rapidly access and process data. The chips have become one of the AI boom's hottest commodities — and increasingly difficult for companies to secure at reasonable prices.
The rapid construction of AI data centers has consumed huge amounts of memory. Manufacturers have also shifted production toward high-bandwidth memory, a more advanced and profitable form of DRAM used with AI processors, leaving less capacity for conventional chips.
The shortage has pushed manufacturing prices higher as companies compete for limited allocations.
And the consequences have spread to regular shoppers: Computer and video game makers have announced price increases, while smartphone manufacturers like Apple have announced higher prices.
That makes Musk's coziness with the three companies all the more important.
The automaker needs memory throughout its vehicles — but its appetite is poised to grow as it shifts its business and spends billions of dollars on AI infrastructure, robotaxis, and its Optimus humanoid robots.
Musk said Micron had allocated a "significant" amount of memory to the company under reasonable terms, though neither company has publicly detailed the products, prices, or length of the arrangement.
In the past month, Micron has also partnered with General Motors and Ford to continue supplying automotive chips.
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Ben Shimkus is a reporter for the Business News desk. He writes about cars, transportation, retail, and jobs. Ben's reporting has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Verge, Automotive News, USA Today, AutoBody News, LGBTQ Nation, TopSpeed, and Out Magazine. He's also held staff writing positions at The U.S. Sun and the Daily Mail. He graduated from NYU with a Master's in journalism in 2024. Email Ben at [email protected] or message him privately on Signal at bshimkus.41.
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