FSD V13 fully utilizes HW4 – Does Tesla signal the end for HW3?

The new version pushes the HW4 hardware to its limits, while HW3 vehicles remain restricted to V12.6. In this article, we explain how significant the differences really are, what this means for your update, and whether Tesla will soon completely replace HW3.

FSD V13 and the new, massive Neural Networks

Tesla has equipped FSD V13 with significantly enlarged neural networks to enable an even smoother and more human-like driving experience:

Node B (Drive Logic) grows from 2.3 GB in V12 to an impressive 7.5 GB in V13.
Node A remains roughly the same size as before at around 2.3 GB.
These dimensions clearly show why only the HW4 platform can fully process V13.

Why HW3 vehicles remain at V12.6

Tesla vehicles with Hardware 3 reach their limitation with FSD V13:

V12.6 was specifically optimized to be operational on the smaller RAM of HW3.
Green's analyses show: Node A uses only 1.2 GB here, Node B about 3.1 GB.
Around 135 networks are shared between V12.6 and V13.2, the rest is hardware-specific.
Tesla promises to continue supporting HW3 with important updates – but new top features will remain exclusive to HW4.

HW3 Replacement and Upgrade Strategy

Elon Musk has already announced replacing HW3 compute units for paying FSD customers if updates no longer run on HW3. Specifically, this means:

Primarily, optimizations will remain for HW4.
HW3 vehicles will only receive highly adapted software branches.
In the long term, Tesla is likely to move forward with AI5 fully rely on HW4+ – anyone who wants to fully utilize FSD will hardly be able to avoid a hardware upgrade.

Outlook on AI5 and the Robotaxi Fleet

V13 is already pushing HW4. The next big step, AI5, is expected to be presented in a few months:

Presumably even larger models and further performance leaps.
Robotaxi Pilot in Austin from June 2025 relies on HW4.
Whether AI5 will necessarily be available only for new hardware remains to be seen – Tesla's goal is to roll out the autonomous functions as widely as possible.

Conclusion

FSD V13 demonstrates how important the new HW4 platform is for Tesla's autonomous future. HW3 vehicles remain limited to V12.6, and Tesla will increasingly focus features on more powerful hardware in the future. Those who want to use the latest FSD updates should already consider an upgrade to HW4.