Vertical: Manufacturing
Application: Improved reliability and connectivity
Private Network: 5G
Tesla has become one of the first automotive manufacturers to deploy a large-scale private 5G network at its Gigafactory in Berlin, Germany. In a new video, Tesla employees highlight how the ultra-fast wireless network is transforming operations and laying the foundation for next-generation manufacturing.
“Private 5G lays a foundation for innovation and next-level operations in our manufacturing and warehouse facilities,” explains Pat from Tesla’s IT Infrastructure team at Giga Berlin. “With private 5G we enable mobile machines to communicate ultra reliably and just keep running all the time.”
Pat notes that Tesla was “one of the first ones in the manufacturing automotive industry to launch private 5G into manufacturing at big scale” at Giga Berlin, with plans to scale the technology globally across its factories.
The primary benefit Tesla is seeing is improved reliability and connectivity, especially for equipment operating outdoors. Ernesto from the Network Team says the private 5G network “has really changed the way we deliver network services in many places in the factory, especially outdoors.”
He explains how previously running network cables and powering outdoor areas was costly and time-consuming. “Now it’s really that small antenna over there on top of a cell building connected to this whole outbound area, helping us update hundreds of cars, run logistics, operations.”
The ultra-fast, low-latency private 5G provides seamless connectivity as vehicles and equipment move around the factory and surrounding areas. This allows Tesla to remotely coordinate machines, track logistics, and wirelessly update software on assembled vehicles before they ship.
Tesla’s deployment in Berlin appears to be one of the most advanced for automotive manufacturing so far. The technology is expected to enable new industrial automation and innovations as it gets implemented across Tesla’s global factory network.
“This is how 5G is helping us transition even faster to a sustainable future,” Ernesto states. With private 5G as the foundation, Tesla is laying the groundwork for its “next-level” vision of highly-optimized, AI-driven manufacturing.
