Tesla's Head of Optimus AI Project Leaves to Join Meta Corporation
In a surprising turn of events, Ashish Kumar, the lead AI developer for Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot, has announced his departure from the company. Kumar, who described his work on Optimus as an 'incredible ride,' has joined Meta as a research scientist.
Kumar's tenure at Tesla saw significant advancements in the team's AI and robotics efforts. He highlighted the team's progress in applying scalable methods, such as reinforcement learning and training robots to improve dexterity by learning from video demonstrations.
The leadership of Tesla's robotics division is undergoing a change, with Ashok Elluswamy now overseeing the Tesla stock Optimus program. Elluswamy, who has previously led development of Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems, steps into the role following the departure of Milan Kovac in June.
Despite the leadership changes, Tesla remains committed to its AI and robotics programs. The company's CEO, Elon Musk, envisions Tesla stock Optimus robots being deployed in various settings, including manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, and household tasks. He believes these programs could eventually account for around 80% of the company's future value.
Tesla's long-term strategy includes moving from limited production of Optimus in 2025 to potentially 100,000 units by 2026. The company continues to showcase new iterations of the Tesla stock Optimus robot, with Optimus 2.5 revealed earlier this month featuring improvements in motor control and walking speed.
Musk's focus, meanwhile, is on developing inference chips to support real-time decision-making in Tesla's AI systems. The financial upside at Tesla was significantly larger, but Kumar opted to leave for an unspecified reason, with his LinkedIn profile now listing him as a research scientist at Meta, where he will continue focusing on advanced AI development.
The scientist who will take over the leadership of Tesla's AI development for the Optimus humanoid robot has not been disclosed in the available search results. Tesla has streamlined its AI strategy by ending its in-house Dojo supercomputer program and using chips from Nvidia and AMD, manufactured by Samsung.
Despite the departure of Kumar, the Optimus program remains a priority for Tesla. Musk has described the upcoming third-generation design of Optimus as 'sublime.' The future of AI and robotics at Tesla continues to hold promise and intrigue as the company moves forward with its ambitious plans.
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