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Musk Plans Terafab Plant Near Austin

Is Musk's Terafab the most ambitious tech project in history or just another overpromised fantasy?

Published 3 hours ago

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Above: Elon Musk at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 19, 2025. Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Techno-optimist narrative

The Terafab project is the most ambitious chip-building effort in history, combining Tesla, xAI and SpaceX to produce a terawatt of compute power annually — something no existing supplier can match. This initiative will establish a foundation for a multiplanetary civilization and an incredibly exciting future while investing significantly in Texas.

Spacex on X

Greg Abbott on X

Techno-skeptic narrative

Musk's Terefab project doesn't add up. To realize his vision, he would need to launch 135 Starships a day — one every ten minutes — just to put a terawatt of computer power into orbit, yet he has not explained how. These grandiose projections, however, shouldn't be a surprise from the man who promised a million self-driving Tesla taxis by 2020 but only delivered 200.

The Register