Daniel Sparks, The Motley Fool
Tue, August 11, 2026 astatine 4:32 AM CDT 3 min read
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) said connected Aug. 6 that they volition walk $16.8 cardinal connected the archetypal signifier of Terafab, a semiconductor works successful Grimes County, Texas. Tesla's nett income implicit the past 12 months was astir $3.8 cardinal -- truthful the 2 companies' opening committedness unsocial is much than 4 times what Tesla presently earns successful a year.
Missed Nvidia successful 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" awesome flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the archetypal clip successful years, that aforesaid "Total Conviction" awesome is flashing for a institution 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
The program is tremendous adjacent by chip-industry standards. Terafab is designed to enactment logic, memory, packaging, and investigating nether 1 roof, crossed much than 100 cardinal quadrate feet, astir an hr northwest of Houston. The companies accidental the tract volition gully h2o from the Gibbons Creek Reservoir alternatively than section groundwater.
The chips are meant for Tesla's Optimus robots and its Cybercab, positive the high-power processors SpaceX wants for space-based information centers. Elon Musk is CEO of some companies, and Tesla said connected X that it and SpaceX volition request acold much chips than existent and aboriginal planetary accumulation tin supply.
What neither institution has said is however the measure divides. The announcement attributes the $16.8 cardinal to the 2 companies jointly. And the archetypal signifier is lone the commencement -- the task has been described successful SpaceX's Texas tax-incentive filings arsenic a multiphase program that could scope $119 billion.
But adjacent a fractional stock would beryllium a ample fig against Tesla's existent results. For perspective, Tesla spent astir $12.9 cardinal connected superior expenditures implicit the past 12 months, generated $5.8 cardinal of escaped currency flow, and earned $3.8 cardinal of nett income.
An $8.4 cardinal stock of signifier 1 would adjacent astir two-thirds of a afloat year's superior spending, layered connected apical of the conveyance programs and artificial quality (AI) infrastructure that spending already covers.
Tesla tin constitute the check. The institution finished the 2nd 4th with astir $43.5 cardinal of currency and investments connected hand, truthful the equilibrium expanse tin sorb a task similar this. The strain shows up archetypal successful currency flow, and lone aboriginal successful earnings, arsenic depreciation connected a works that size runs done an already bladed nett base.
And the chips Terafab is built to marque are mostly for products that don't vessel astatine standard yet: Optimus and Cybercab connected Tesla's side, orbital information centers connected SpaceX's. The works is simply a stake that those businesses turn ample capable to sorb its output.

1 hour ago
6





English (CA) ·
English (US) ·
Spanish (MX) ·