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With a vision for a better future, Tesla has not only become the most valuable automobile company to ever exist but also surmounted itself as one of the top tech companies in the world. From autonomous vehicles to AI Robots, Tesla has done it all. But what programming languages have helped the organization create such futuristic products? Let’s find out.
Programming languages used at Tesla
1. C & C++
In recent years, there has been an influx of a large number of new programming languages like Elixir, Pony, Julia, etc, built to make tasks easier with as little code as possible. However, Tesla still relies heavily on one of the most foundational languages: C & C++.
“Most of the Software in Tesla cars is C or C++,” said Mehdi Amini, Engineering Manager at Tesla. One of the biggest strengths among these old languages and probably the reason for its survival through time is that these languages can run on pretty much any kind of system. Attributing to its closeness to the OS, these low-level programming languages are used in most IoT and embedded systems and help engineers optimize software.
“No programming language has come close to C or C++ when it comes to efficiency. Most modern programming languages with garbage collectors are non-deterministic when it comes to memory management, that’s simply not suitable for critical embedded systems such as the ones in Tesla cars,” said Mehdi. Another major tech company that extensively uses C & C++ is Nvidia.
2. Python
Besides C & C++, Tesla also relies heavily on possibly the most popular and widely used language; Python. In a series of tweets, Elon explains how they use a combination of C/C++ & Python to build their algorithms:
Our NN is initially in Python for rapid iteration, then converted to C++/C/raw metal driver code for speed (important!). Also, tons of C++/C engineers needed for vehicle control & entire rest of car. Educational background is irrelevant, but all must pass hardcore coding test.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2020
This tweet prompted a lot of developers to highlight the shortfalls of converting from Python to C++/C, but let’s keep in mind that the tweet is just a condensed explanation of a well-thought-out process, and does not do justice to the actual techniques used. Soumith Chintala, co-creator of PyTorch, explains that they most likely follow auto conversion from Python to C & C++. Elon also pointed out their dependence on PyTorch;
PyTorch is the most frequently used external tool set/library
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2020
PyTorch is a library built for machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. It is completely open-source and is built by Facebook’s AI research lab.
3. Java & Javascript
Based on a survey conducted by Burning Glass, Java and Javascript are next in line in terms of use and importance for languages at Tesla. Both of these languages are used heavily in building systems and apps for their cars. C++, Python, and Java are the languages required in almost all job posts at Tesla. Additionally, Tesla requires a strong proficiency in Javascript for roles involving front-end programming. Find out more about Jobs at Tesla here.
4. Other Languages
Tesla also requires excellence in other programming languages based on the specific functions performed by each of them. React and Typescript are Javascript-based languages used extensively by Tesla for front-end development. Moreover, Ruby, CSS, and PHP are required in roles involving web development. Lastly, SQL is used on a large scale for database management. All such languages combine together to build the products which leaves us in awe.
Conclusion
Thus, despite being one of the major tech companies in the world, Tesla relies primarily on old-school programming languages. Python, C & C++ is a must if you wish to work for companies like Tesla, SpaceX, Nvidia, Intel, etc. However, Tesla has more than 300 engineers at work with varied sets of skills, all of which come together to create complex networks to run their products. Your choice of which programming language to learn should entirely depend on the kind of function you want to carry out. Choose wisely!
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