Intel will join the "Terafab" project, a mega-scale semiconductor manufacturing facility pushed by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk. It is seen as the result of aligned interests between the two companies: Musk's plan to accelerate semiconductor self-sufficiency and Intel's bid to restore the company's manufacturing leadership around its foundry (contract semiconductor manufacturing) business.
Intel CEO Lipbu Tan said on the 7th, local time, on his social media X, "Elon has a proven track record of reimagining entire industries," adding, "That is exactly what is needed in semiconductor manufacturing today." He went on, "Terafab is a project that will take a step forward in the future of how silicon logic, memory, and packaging are made."
Intel attached a photo of CEO Lipbu Tan and CEO Musk shaking hands to its account and said, "We were pleased to welcome Musk at Intel over the weekend." Tan also said on his X account, "Musk has been reimagining the entire industry and delivering results, and that is what is needed in semiconductor manufacturing today," adding, "Terafab will bring significant changes to how silicon logic, memory, and packaging are manufactured."
Intel said, "Intel's capability to design, manufacture, and package (back-end process) ultra-high-performance chips at scale will contribute to accelerating the goal of producing 1 terawatt (TW) of computing performance annually to support advances in AI and robotics."
Terafab is a mega-scale semiconductor production base that CEO Musk is pushing, stressing that in-house chip production is essential for AI, robotics, and space data centers. Musk has argued for the need to produce Terafab, saying semiconductor output does not meet their demand, and released last month that he would first build an advanced technology fab in Austin, Texas.