A look at Tesla’s new AI training center in Giga Texas (VIDEO)

Elon Musk gave a little preview of “Cortex,” Tesla’s new AI training center, which has been under construction at Giga Texas for some time.

Previously, we saw some footage of the new wing for the massive water-cooled supercomputer cluster at Giga Texas, built at the south end of the Gigafactory.

AI4 Training

Cortex seems to be the name of the supercomputer cluster, and we can assume that’s what it will be called from now on. Cortex will primarily focus on exploring and expanding the capabilities of FSD to include AI4, which will soon be different from HW3. Tesla hasn’t yet unlocked the full potential of AI4, as HW3 still runs in emulation mode, but with a few extra tricks that HW3 doesn’t have access to. These are mostly changes to the hardware compiler, but they make a significant difference in the speed of processing the AI ​​model.

Tesla intends to continue supporting HW3, but it is already evident that the FSD model for HW3 is smaller than the model for AI4. However, Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s program lead for Autopilot, expects the performance to be largely similar.

Another thing that Cortex is likely to address is not only FSD in cars, but also FSD in Optimus. Optimus uses the same core technology as FSD for movement and comprehension and learning tasks, so we can expect a lot of improvements now that Tesla is bringing Cortex online.

Video from inside Cortex today, the massive new AI training supercluster being built at Tesla’s Austin headquarters to solve real-world AI problems pic.twitter.com/DwJVUWUrb5

– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 26 August 2024

Cortex, not Dojo

What’s most interesting is that this new supercomputer cluster is not Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer. Instead, this Cortex cluster is based on Nvidia’s H100 GPUs. Dojo should be Tesla’s self-developed and specialized AI GPU that will focus on optimizing FSD.

Dojo isn’t dead – but it seems like it’s been delayed. We’re excited to see where Cortex will take Tesla in the future and when Dojo will show up to join the celebration.

Tesla has reduced the price of both the CCS adapter and CCS retrofits across its entire product range in North America. This includes a price reduction for the US, Canada and Mexico.

CCS adapter

Tesla has reduced the price of the CCS (Combo 1 – North America) from $250 to $125 (CAD $345 to CAD $175). This represents a price reduction of 50%, making Tesla’s OEM CCS adapter one of the cheapest on the market.

CCS1 was the non-Tesla standard for electric vehicles before Tesla introduced the NACS standard. Tesla vehicles that have been retrofitted or built after the retrofit date can be charged at any regular CCS station using a CCS adapter.

CCS retrofitting

The CCS retrofit will allow Tesla vehicles to charge at CCS stations with a compatible CCS-to-NACS adapter before approximately September 2022 (depending on model and region). Vehicles built before this date will not be able to charge at CCS stations without this retrofit. The retrofit will also come with a complementary CCS adapter.

A price reduction by separating the CCS adapter from the retrofit solution is not possible.

The retrofit is available for the Model S/X and the Model 3/Y at different prices.

How to check if you need a retrofit

If you are unsure if your vehicle is CCS capable, you can go to Controls > Software > More Vehicle Information. There you will see a line in the middle with the heading “CCS charging and third-party NACS DC charging”. Next to this it will show if your vehicle supports third-party CCS charging or if you need an upgrade.

NACS to CCS

And that’s not all – Tesla has dramatically increased production of the NACS-to-CCS adapter for non-NACS vehicles with Tesla Supercharger approval, reaching a new record of 8,000 units per week.

Tesla has made great strides in establishing a standard and improving the efficiency and availability of electric vehicle charging across North America, and we are pleased to see the company continue this trend going forward.

Sometimes you need to charge a few USB-powered devices in your car while you’re on the go. Maybe your phone or wireless headphones are running low on battery, or you have a tablet or laptop that you’ll need later and it’s out of power.

You can charge your devices in your vehicle by making sure the USB ports stay turned on, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Maintain power supply to USB ports

Power to the USB ports is usually turned off when the vehicle goes to sleep after about 15 minutes of inactivity. However, there are a few things you can do to keep the USB ports powered. Enabling Sentry Mode, Keep Climate Mode, Dog Mode, or Camp Mode will also keep the vehicle’s USB ports powered on. Keep in mind that all of these modes use power themselves, so if your only goal is to charge your device, you’ll probably want to use Sentry Mode so the air conditioning isn’t constantly running.

Most modes allow you to lock and secure your vehicle while charging your devices using the USB ports in the front console, the USB-A port in the glove box, or the USB ports behind the center armrest. Some of these ports may be USB-A or USB-C, depending on the model and year of your vehicle.

What you should not use

Camp mode leaves the vehicle unlocked. While this is a good choice if you are staying close to the vehicle, you should avoid it if you want to keep your vehicle locked. Camp mode also leaves the air conditioning on and the display on.

Locking your vehicle

If you’re charging a phone that doubles as your vehicle’s phone key, be sure to turn off Bluetooth on your device or disable the phone key feature, or you won’t be able to lock your vehicle. You can disable the phone key by navigating to Safety & Driver in the Tesla app and turning off the Phone Key option. Regardless of which method you use, there are two things to remember. Be sure to lock your vehicle with another phone or with the on-screen buttons, and make sure you have your Tesla key card with you so you can get back in.

Cybertruck

The Cybertruck, in particular, has an additional option: It comes equipped with 120V and 240V outlets—the same ones you’ll find in your home in North America. The 240V outlet in the bed can also stay on when you’re not in the vehicle—and all of those outlets can be powered while the vehicle is locked.

To get these working, you’ll need to go to Vehicle Controls > Sockets & Mods and then enable the “Keep cabin and bed sockets powered on” option. Note that power to the sockets will automatically be disabled when the vehicle is plugged in (even if it’s not charging) or when ambient temperatures are extremely low.

Tesla doesn’t specify the minimum temperature, but if you know it, let us know on social media!