SpaceX will primarily obtain electricity for the giant Terafab semiconductor factory it plans to build in Texas, USA, from natural gas power plants.
Modern.az reports that although Tesla is a partner in the project, no plans have yet been announced regarding the use of the company's solar panels. According to Bloomberg, Riley Trettel, who leads the development of SpaceX's energy and data centers, stated at a public meeting that the company will produce its own electricity for Terafab. The factory's energy infrastructure also includes the installation of large-scale battery systems. An interesting point is that the information disclosed so far about the Terafab project does not mention the use of Tesla's solar energy technologies. However, Tesla produces solar panels and energy storage systems and is one of the partners in the Terafab project.
Elon Musk has recently been focusing more on natural gas-based energy production. xAI's data centers in Memphis also largely use natural gas. In addition, Musk has acquired a company operating in this field, and SpaceX plans to purchase gas turbines worth approximately $2.8 billion over the next three years. Terafab will be built in Grimes County, Texas, approximately 72 kilometers northwest of downtown Houston. SpaceX has obtained local tax incentives in exchange for a commitment to invest at least $5 billion by 2030 and create a minimum of 1800 permanent jobs by 2035 within the project. The state of Texas is also allocating $30 million in incentives to the project. The initial phase of Terafab is expected to cost approximately $16.8 billion. The factory is intended to produce chips that will be used in SpaceX and its xAI data centers.
