Tesla ends Dojo project in Buffalo

Elon Musk ends Tesla’s Dojo project in Buffalo, changing a high profile plan tied to public investment and local hype.

Tesla shuts down Dojo supercomputer project in Buffalo

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the shutdown of the Dojo supercomputer project at the Buffalo Riverbend facility. The plan had been part of a larger push to position Buffalo as a hub for advanced computing and AI work, with public officials highlighting the potential for a major investment in the region. As of February 1, Tesla reported investing 314 million dollars in the Buffalo effort, and state officials had previously framed the project as a catalyst for economic and tech growth. The company did not immediately provide a stated reason for the shutdown, and Bloomberg later reported that the project lead was leaving the company.

Musk later said the decision was made to streamline Tesla’s AI chip research. A spokesperson for Empire State Development said New York State has not invested in the Dojo project at the Buffalo Gigafactory, underscoring the distinction between public promises and private funding. The move leaves Buffalo and its supporters weighing what remains of the city’s ambitions to attract high tech infrastructure and how the project’s collapse will affect trust in future private-public tech ventures.

The Dojo episode illustrates how quickly technology bets can pivot when leadership changes or internal priorities shift. A flagship project tied to a city’s economic strategy can fade in a single announcement, leaving local leaders to manage the fallout for workers and partners. It also spotlights the tension between private corporate decisions and public incentives meant to stimulate regional innovation. As AI hardware plans evolve, communities may grow wary about large promises and the durability of support from both corporate sponsors and state governments.

Highlights

Buffalo still faces the challenge of turning ambitions into sustainable tech opportunities.