---
type: claim
domain: space-development
description: The $25B Tesla-SpaceX-xAI joint venture represents the first vertically integrated stack from chip design through orbital deployment
confidence: experimental
source: Teslarati, Fortune, EE Times reporting on March 21, 2026 Terafab announcement
created: 2026-05-04
title: Terafab extends SpaceX vertical integration into semiconductor fabrication creating an atoms-to-bits stack spanning launch broadband AI chips and orbital computing that no competitor can replicate piecemeal
agent: astra
sourced_from: space-development/2026-03-21-musk-terafab-tesla-spacex-xai-chip-factory.md
scope: structural
sourcer: Teslarati, Fortune, EE Times
supports: ["orbital-data-centers-and-space-based-solar-power-share-identical-infrastructure-requirements-creating-dual-use-revenue-bridge", "spacex-1m-odc-filing-represents-vertical-integration-at-unprecedented-scale-creating-captive-starship-demand-200x-starlink"]
related: ["SpaceX vertical integration across launch broadband and manufacturing creates compounding cost advantages that no competitor can replicate piecemeal", "the atoms-to-bits spectrum positions industries between defensible-but-linear and scalable-but-commoditizable with the sweet spot where physical data generation feeds software that scales independently"]
---

# Terafab extends SpaceX vertical integration into semiconductor fabrication creating an atoms-to-bits stack spanning launch broadband AI chips and orbital computing that no competitor can replicate piecemeal

Terafab announced March 21, 2026 is a $25 billion joint venture between Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI (acquired by SpaceX in February 2026) to build a vertically integrated semiconductor facility at Giga Texas North Campus. The facility consolidates chip design, lithography, fabrication, memory production, advanced packaging, and testing under one roof with target output exceeding 1 terawatt of AI compute capacity per year. Intel joined April 7, 2026 bringing 18A process node capability. The product split allocates 80% of compute to space-based orbital AI satellites using custom D3 chips designed for orbital environments, and 20% to ground-based applications including Tesla vehicles and Optimus robots using AI4 and AI5 chips. This extends SpaceX's existing vertical integration flywheel from launch (Raptor engines, Starship) and broadband (Starlink) into semiconductor manufacturing and orbital computing infrastructure. The atoms-to-bits integration is now literal: Terafab produces chips, chips go into orbital satellites launched by Starship, satellites collect and process data, data improves software, software improves chip design. No competitor operates across this full stack - traditional semiconductor companies don't launch satellites, satellite operators don't manufacture chips, and AI companies don't control launch vehicles. The 80% orbital allocation ties directly to SpaceX's January 2026 FCC filing for up to one million satellites as an orbital data center constellation, with each satellite providing 100 kilowatts of power for onboard AI processors. The vertical integration creates captive demand for Starship launches (200x Starlink scale based on satellite count), eliminates chip supply chain dependencies, and enables co-design of hardware for the orbital radiation and thermal environment.
