Tesla wants to monetize its cars to process AI workloads

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Elon Musk's idea of turning Tesla cars into a kind of "AWS on wheels" by using the computing power in Tesla vehicles to process workloads for cash when the cars are not in use.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Elon Musk's Idea to Turn Tesla Cars into "AWS on Wheels"

1. What is Elon Musk's idea for Tesla vehicles?

• Elon Musk and Tesla are considering using the computing power in Tesla vehicles to process workloads for cash when the cars are not in use, turning them into a kind of "AWS on wheels".
• Tesla's Director of Autopilot Software, Ashok Elluswamy, stated that Tesla vehicles have a lot of computing power that could be used for tasks like processing batch workloads for AI companies when the cars are not being driven.
• Musk compared this idea to how Amazon Web Services (AWS) was able to monetize Amazon's excess computing capacity.

2. What are some potential issues with this idea?

• The computing power in Tesla vehicles is distributed rather than centralized, making it more akin to edge computing rather than a traditional data center setup.
• There are concerns about using the car owner's electricity to run workloads and whether they would get a cut of the revenue generated.
• Allowing third-party code and data to run on a private asset raises security and privacy concerns.
• Using the car's battery to power the computing workloads could accelerate battery degradation, which is a crucial and expensive component of the vehicle.
• Overall, the potential downsides may outweigh the returns this idea could generate for Tesla.

3. How does this idea fit into Elon Musk's history of making bold claims?

• The article suggests that Elon Musk has a habit of throwing out "wild ideas" when things are not going well, potentially to distract investors and energize them.
• This idea of turning Tesla vehicles into "AWS on wheels" may be one of those bold claims that may not actually come to fruition.

[02] Potential Challenges and Feasibility of the Idea

1. What are the technical challenges with implementing this idea?

• The computing power in Tesla vehicles is distributed rather than centralized, making it more akin to edge computing.
• The code and data would need to be centrally managed and stored, then packaged and sent for processing before being returned once complete.
• This setup would not be as efficient as a traditional data center arrangement.

2. What are the potential downsides that may outweigh the benefits?

• Using the car owner's electricity to run workloads and whether they would get a cut of the revenue generated.
• Allowing third-party code and data to run on a private asset raises security and privacy concerns.
• Using the car's battery to power the computing workloads could accelerate battery degradation, which is a crucial and expensive component of the vehicle.
• Overall, the potential downsides may be too significant to justify implementing this idea.

3. How likely is this idea to be implemented?

• The article suggests that there is no guarantee this idea will actually come to fruition, as it may prove to be more trouble than it's worth for the returns it generates.
• Elon Musk's history of making bold claims when things are not going well may also indicate that this idea is more of a distraction than a serious plan.