Gate News message, April 16 — Elon Musk’s team has contacted major chipmaking equipment suppliers including Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, and Lam Research over recent weeks as part of preparations for the Terafab project, a joint venture between Tesla and SpaceX. According to sources, the Terafab team inquired about pricing and delivery timelines for various semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
The project has reached out to manufacturers of photomasks, substrates, etching tools, deposition equipment, cleaning systems, testing equipment, and other fabrication tools. Samsung Electronics has also been engaged to support the initiative, with the company reportedly proposing to allocate additional production capacity at its planned facility in Taylor, Texas for Tesla.
The rapid pace of supplier engagement suggests Musk’s intent to accelerate the Terafab project’s development timeline.