Musk unveiled Terafab and called it a step toward galactic civilization.
Elon Musk unveiled the Terafab project and immediately raised the bar to near-fiction. The new factory is intended to produce chips for Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, and potentially support not only robotaxis and humanoid robots, but also space computing. According to Musk, Terafab's goal is to produce one terawatt of computing power per year, or 1 million megawatts.
The presentation took place on Saturday evening in Austin, at the site of the shuttered Seaholm Power Plant. Musk described the project's launch as a step toward a galactic civilization. Terafab is based on a joint venture between Tesla and SpaceX, and xAI was incorporated into the scheme following the February deal in which Musk's space company acquired the AI startup.
The idea of building an in-house chip manufacturing facility appears extremely daunting, even for a large business. Morgan Stanley analysts recently called such a task "herculean." The reason is clear: building a factory requires enormous investment, rare engineering expertise, and access to specialized equipment. The semiconductor market has long been divided between chip design companies and contract manufacturers like TSMC, so attempting to consolidate the entire process under one roof seems particularly ambitious.
Musk claims that Terafab will become more than just a factory, but a unified complex for testing, refining, and manufacturing microchips. This facility will integrate logic and memory production, packaging, testing, mask manufacturing, and ongoing process refinement. According to Musk, no other facility in the world currently offers such a comprehensive set of capabilities in a single location.https://max.ru/SecLabNews?utm_source=Securitylab.ru
In the first phase, Terafab will produce two types of chips. The first type is primarily intended for Optimus and Tesla vehicles, which the company is building for fully autonomous operation. Musk emphasized that Optimus could be the primary demand in the future: he estimates that the number of humanoid robots will be 10-100 times greater than the number of cars.
The second type of chip, D3, is being developed for the space environment. Musk links the D3's development to plans to move some computing infrastructure into orbit. The company envisions a significant portion of data centers eventually being deployed in low orbit, where computations will be powered by solar energy. Musk even stated that the cost of AI computing in space could one day drop below Earth's level, since there is always sunlight in space, making it easier to secure power.
A separate section of the presentation featured a concept for a mini-satellite for AI computing. According to Musk, each satellite will be equipped with solar panels and capable of generating 100 kW of power. In the future, Musk anticipates a transition to megawatt-class satellites. The rationale behind the project is simple: placing large computing capacities in orbit is more convenient, especially because few people want a data center close to home.
The plans don't end with space. Musk suggested that in the future, companies could establish an industrial base on the Moon. Such a move, he believes, would pave the way to petawatt-scale computing, or 1,000 times greater than one terawatt. Toward the end of the presentation, Musk even spoke of a post-scarcity economy and free trips to Saturn, admitting that such ideas sounded too bold.
Elon Musk unveiled the Terafab project and immediately raised the bar to near-fiction. The new factory is intended to produce chips for Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, and potentially support not only robotaxis and humanoid robots, but also space computing. According to Musk, Terafab's goal is to produce one terawatt of computing power per year, or 1 million megawatts.
The presentation took place on Saturday evening in Austin, at the site of the shuttered Seaholm Power Plant. Musk described the project's launch as a step toward a galactic civilization. Terafab is based on a joint venture between Tesla and SpaceX, and xAI was incorporated into the scheme following the February deal in which Musk's space company acquired the AI startup.
The idea of building an in-house chip manufacturing facility appears extremely daunting, even for a large business. Morgan Stanley analysts recently called such a task "herculean." The reason is clear: building a factory requires enormous investment, rare engineering expertise, and access to specialized equipment. The semiconductor market has long been divided between chip design companies and contract manufacturers like TSMC, so attempting to consolidate the entire process under one roof seems particularly ambitious.
Musk claims that Terafab will become more than just a factory, but a unified complex for testing, refining, and manufacturing microchips. This facility will integrate logic and memory production, packaging, testing, mask manufacturing, and ongoing process refinement. According to Musk, no other facility in the world currently offers such a comprehensive set of capabilities in a single location.https://max.ru/SecLabNews?utm_source=Securitylab.ru
In the first phase, Terafab will produce two types of chips. The first type is primarily intended for Optimus and Tesla vehicles, which the company is building for fully autonomous operation. Musk emphasized that Optimus could be the primary demand in the future: he estimates that the number of humanoid robots will be 10-100 times greater than the number of cars.
The second type of chip, D3, is being developed for the space environment. Musk links the D3's development to plans to move some computing infrastructure into orbit. The company envisions a significant portion of data centers eventually being deployed in low orbit, where computations will be powered by solar energy. Musk even stated that the cost of AI computing in space could one day drop below Earth's level, since there is always sunlight in space, making it easier to secure power.
A separate section of the presentation featured a concept for a mini-satellite for AI computing. According to Musk, each satellite will be equipped with solar panels and capable of generating 100 kW of power. In the future, Musk anticipates a transition to megawatt-class satellites. The rationale behind the project is simple: placing large computing capacities in orbit is more convenient, especially because few people want a data center close to home.
The plans don't end with space. Musk suggested that in the future, companies could establish an industrial base on the Moon. Such a move, he believes, would pave the way to petawatt-scale computing, or 1,000 times greater than one terawatt. Toward the end of the presentation, Musk even spoke of a post-scarcity economy and free trips to Saturn, admitting that such ideas sounded too bold.
