Dylan Loomis opens by acknowledging user disappointment with early 14.3 FSD videos and feedback, but argues the true focus should be on a significant underlying rewrite.
**FSD 14.3: The Fundamental Rewrite**
The core message is that Tesla undertook a "massive, deep-seated, fundamental rewrite" of its AI compiler and runtime from the ground up, utilizing MLIR (Multi-Level Intermediate Representation). This resulted in a 20% faster reaction time and improved model iteration speed.
* **Compiler's Role:** The AI compiler translates Tesla's trained neural network FSD model (complex matrix math) into executable code for AI4 and Hardware 3 chips. The runtime then executes this in real-time.
* **MLIR Benefits:** Unlike the previous "flat layer" compiler, MLIR introduces a three-level structure (high, medium, low). This allows for specialized optimizations at each layer, enabling engineers to make changes without breaking other parts, compounding improvements, and simplifying debugging (potentially spotting bugs in minutes instead of days).
* **Impact:** This rewrite creates significant "headroom" for larger vision encoders, more parameters, and enhanced reasoning. It also enables Tesla to iterate and deploy newly trained models much faster.
* **Expert Endorsement:** Chris Lattner, founder of LLVM (which developed MLIR) and former VP of Autopilot Software at Tesla, called this adoption a potential "breakthrough."
* **Strategic Move:** Tesla's decision to call out this technical detail, after years of being tight-lipped, is seen as a signal of its importance.
* **Future Expectations:** Dylan believes 14.3 is a new "foundation" that will unlock future "flashy customer-facing features" in subsequent dot releases (14.3.x). He justifies Elon Musk's "last big piece of the puzzle" comment, despite current real-world performance issues, and expresses hope for "fireworks" within the next three months.
* **Hardware 3:** The rewrite's potential for extra headroom also encourages owners of older Hardware 3 units.
**FSD 14.3 Initial User Feedback & Anecdotes:**
* **Parking:** Decisiveness in parking lots is faster and more confident but not perfect; still sees issues and cars getting stuck in loops. The new blue 'P' pin for parking prediction often targets spots closer to entrances and isn't adjustable.
* **Sign Reading:** Anecdotally improved, but still imperfect (e.g., driving through "do not enter" signs, parking in reserved spots). Dirty Tesla reported an instance where it *did* read a "do not enter" sign.
* **Bugs:** "Red hands" bug reported, indicating a camera occlusion that wasn't present, though the car continued driving.
* **Driving:** Mixed reports – some call it the "smoothest and most confident version ever," while others note issues like taking off too early at drive-thrus, getting stuck in infinite loops in parking garages, inconsistent police hand signal recognition, navigation problems, a return of "left lane camping," and being forced into "chill/sloth mode" in light rain without override.
* **Reaction Time:** Noted to be "quite incredible" in testing.
* **Speed Profiles:** Seem largely unchanged.
**Other News:**
* **Cybercab Sightings:** Around 60 Cybertruck-based "cybercabs" were seen in Austin, identified as engineering vehicles with visible steering wheels, suggesting extensive testing and validation across the country.
* **Driver Monitoring System (DMS):** Improvements are continuing due to regulatory pressure from NHTSA and the need for supervised FSD in markets like Europe.
* **Reasoning:** While 14.3's primary reasoning focus is on destination parking, elements of reasoning (e.g., navigation route changes during construction) were already present in 14.2, and it's being gradually expanded across the model.
* **TeraFab Project:** Intel has joined SpaceX, XAI, and Tesla to refactor silicon fab technology, aiming to produce 1 terawatt per year of compute. This partnership significantly de-risks the project, leveraging Intel's manufacturing expertise and a nearly $9 billion equity investment from the U.S. government via the CHIPS Act, which prioritizes American semiconductor manufacturing.
* **Tesla Stock:** Experienced $256 million in retail inflows over five days, indicating strong conviction among investors despite cooling demand for other "MAG-7" stocks. Tesla stock closed down 0.98% at $343.25.
* **Waymo Expansion:** Waymo has officially opened to the public in Nashville, TN, covering a 60-square-mile geofence and planning service at the airport. An incident showed a Waymo driving onto fresh asphalt and around a worker.
* **Germany Sales:** March was Tesla's best sales month ever in Germany, with Q1 2024 volumes representing approximately 66% of Tesla's total registrations for all of 2023, suggesting a strong recovery.
* **Tesla Semi:** A Tesla Semi was spotted with a Watt EV and Amazon trailer.
* **Model S/X Inventory:** Only a few hundred Model S and X vehicles are left in inventory.