Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) version 13 marks a significant advancement in autonomous technology, particularly enhancing the capabilities of its HW4 hardware, which suggests that the older HW3 may be reaching its limits.

The differences in features between HW4 running FSD V13 and HW3 with FSD V12.6 stem from HW4's ability to support larger neural networks, which are crucial for improved performance.

Looking ahead, Tesla's upcoming AI5 is anticipated to further enhance HW4, with a potential release by late 2025, aligning with the company's goal to launch Unsupervised FSD in June 2025.

While Tesla's AI team continues to optimize FSD for HW3, updates for HW4 will take precedence, leading to the establishment of a separate software branch specifically for HW3.

Tesla remains committed to advancing autonomy, with plans to introduce a Robotaxi network that underscores the critical role of HW4's capabilities in future developments.

For HW3 vehicle owners who purchased FSD, Tesla has promised an upgrade to HW4, contingent upon the challenges of providing updates for HW3.

FSD V12.6 is specifically designed for HW3, utilizing smaller neural networks totaling 1.2 GB on Node A and 3.1 GB on Node B to closely match the performance of V13.

In contrast, FSD V13 features significantly larger neural networks, enhancing the driving experience, with Node B's capacity increasing from 2.3 GB to 7.5 GB.