Terafab, a joint venture of SpaceX and Tesla, plans to begin serial production of chips in the third or fourth quarter of 2028, Elon Musk said during a conference call. Musk described the schedule as “very ambitious”.
Planned launch timeline
According to Terafab’s internal schedule, the first test chip using static random-access memory (SRAM) designs is expected to be operational around May or June 2027 at a research centre in Austin. Such designs are intended to verify and refine manufacturing processes before mass production.
Musk noted that ramping up to serial production in the second half of 2028 is one possible scenario and added: “Let’s put it this way: ramping up to serial production is one of the possible scenarios for the third or fourth quarter of 2028. Obviously, it’s an insanely tight schedule for chip production,” Musk summed up.
Technical goals and the production complex
The Terafab project is expected to provide computational capacity of 1 terawatt per year for the needs of artificial intelligence and robotics. The plan is to build a complex in Texas that will combine production, packaging and testing of advanced logic chips and memory integrated circuits.
Musk also said the project aims to operate the production complex independently, although there had previously been talks about possible cooperation with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). He said the stated timeline is a target, not a guarantee of launch.
Risks of equipment supply and construction timelines
Musk acknowledged that a rapid ramp to serial production would require an extremely intensive project implementation, since in the US building modern fabs for logic chips can take three years or longer. One of the main obstacles is obtaining complex and expensive equipment, in particular extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems.
He thanked ASML and other suppliers for accelerating deliveries, and also noted dependence on US suppliers, including Applied Materials and KLA. “I’m allowing for a wide margin of error, because we don’t know whether we will actually be able to achieve this,” Musk said.
