Elon Musk Just Announced Plans to Build Chip Factories That Will Produce Double What the Entire U.S. Makes Today

SpaceX and Tesla will build “Terafab,” two advanced chip factories in Austin, Texas — one for cars and humanoid robots, another for AI satellites.

By Jonathan Small | edited by Dan Bova | Mar 23, 2026

There is a chip shortage and Elon Musk isn’t waiting for suppliers to fix it. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO announced plans Sunday to build “Terafab,” two advanced chip factories in Austin, Texas. Musk says current global chip production meets only 3% of his companies’ future needs, according to Reuters.

One factory will produce chips for Tesla vehicles and Optimus humanoid robots. The other will make specialized chips designed for AI satellites in space. Together, the facilities will eventually produce one terawatt of computing capacity per year — double what the entire United States currently generates.

Musk said he’s grateful to existing chip suppliers like Samsung, TSMC and Micron, but insists demand from his companies will eventually exceed total global chip output. “We either build the Terafab or we don’t have the chips,” he said during a Saturday presentation in Austin. He didn’t provide a timeline.

There is a chip shortage and Elon Musk isn’t waiting for suppliers to fix it. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO announced plans Sunday to build “Terafab,” two advanced chip factories in Austin, Texas. Musk says current global chip production meets only 3% of his companies’ future needs, according to Reuters.

One factory will produce chips for Tesla vehicles and Optimus humanoid robots. The other will make specialized chips designed for AI satellites in space. Together, the facilities will eventually produce one terawatt of computing capacity per year — double what the entire United States currently generates.

Musk said he’s grateful to existing chip suppliers like Samsung, TSMC and Micron, but insists demand from his companies will eventually exceed total global chip output. “We either build the Terafab or we don’t have the chips,” he said during a Saturday presentation in Austin. He didn’t provide a timeline.

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