Nothing screams 2026 like Elon Musk thanking chipmakers on an earnings call

Elon Musk thanked Samsung, TSMC, and Micron during Tesla's Q2 earnings call on Wednesday, highlighting the critical role of memory chips in the AI boom. The rapid construction of AI data centers has caused a DRAM shortage, driving up prices and leading to price increases for computers, video game consoles, and smartphones. Musk noted that Micron allocated a 'significant' amount of memory to Tesla under reasonable terms as the automaker invests in AI infrastructure, robotaxis, and humanoid robots.

Elon Musk took a moment during Tesla's earnings call on Wednesday https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-q2-earnings-updates-tsla-stock-elon-musk-spacex-2026-7 to thank three companies that have little to do with traditional automaking. Musk praised Samsung and TSMC https://www.businessinsider.com/tsmc-billionaire-founder-morris-chang-lessons-business-leadership-advice-2025-8 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 https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-data-centers-making-memory-shortage-worse-2026-6 . Micron https://www.businessinsider.com/micron-stock-price-us-chip-making-250-billion-trump-ai-2026-7 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 https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-memory-chip-boom-bust-cycle-micron-2026-5 — 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 https://www.businessinsider.com/price-gaming-inflation-xbox-playstation-nintendo-switch-2026-5 have announced price increases, while smartphone manufacturers like Apple https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-price-increases-mac-ipad-memory-chip-tim-cook-iphone-2026-6 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.