4 ms·

SpaceX/xAI is investing in creating their own fab. If they can, Apple certainly can.

bee_rider 5mo ago
We don’t know if SpaceX’s plan will actually work, they announced it this year and it is a long-timeline Musk project. These have… mixed results.
UqWBcuFx6NV4r 5mo ago
yeah. right after tesla self-driving.
fhn 5mo ago
that's crazy. Looks like Intel is part of this https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/intel-join-musks-terafab-mega-ai-chip-project-2026-04-07/ https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/intel-...
- rswail 5mo ago
  Part of the trump bullshit that the USGov has taken 10% of Intel. It's actual corruption and the standard fascist model of corporate takeover by the state.
shye 5mo ago
They can’t. Operating a FAB requires employing PhDs that are willing to work 8 hours shifts with no breaks (each removal of a bunnysuit is an expensive exercise), and there’s no reason to believe SpaceX is capable of hiring such people.
- CuriousRose 5mo ago
  There was a point made recently by Musk that the whole clean room idea is outdated if you can just ensure the path the silicon takes from wafer to lidding is clean. Seems solvable to me, but leaves me wondering why it hasn’t been done before. I assume there is no human handling of raw/etched silicon now anyway, so why does the whole room need to be clean?
  - deadfoxygrandpa 5mo ago
    hmm yeah. its cool that musk knows more about this than the entire industry
    - CuriousRose 5mo ago
      You could probably apply that logic to any innovation in any industry no? Reusable rockets likely got the same ridicule, as did fast satellite internet, self driving and fully electric vehicles. I can understand that Musk does not have the most palatable personality, but floating ideas and at least attempting innovation regardless of outcome over a long time is a net positive for society and should not be discouraged.
      - khriss 5mo ago
        > self driving Aren't we still waiting for that?
      - CamperBob2 5mo ago
        Reusable rockets likely got the same ridicule, as did fast satellite internet, self driving and fully electric vehicles. In those areas, Musk successfully leveraged government largesse to compete with fat, lazy incumbents who had either coasted for decades (rockets and satellite Internet) or who didn't bother to show up to the game (EVs, self-driving and otherwise.) That does not describe the semiconductor industry. Musk has never beaten anybody who actually put up a fight, as far as I'm aware. I guess Blue Origin technically counts, but again that's not exactly TSMC.
        Danox 5mo ago
        Intel and Microsoft are having that same problem right now when the playing field is level, they have trouble competing.
    - Auracle 5mo ago
      It wouldn’t be the first time an industry got bogged down by prior knowledge. Hell, it happens to all of us.
- LargoLasskhyfv 5mo ago
  So what? Maybe a hand full of full bunnies per shift, and another dozen or two half-bunnies. There aren't more. This can be seen/validated by some older yt-videos, where something went wrong in the fab, for instance a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOUP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOUP ejecting a wafer in wrong ways into a machine, then being ejected by that onto the floor, and shattering. Causing all systems to stop, and all the warning lights beginning to blink in an expanding cascade. At about 4:30AM. Maybe 20 seconds later two half bunnies with face masks appear, another 10 seconds later a full bunnie. Some gesticulating ensues, full bunnie opens his suit, gets his flip phone, half bunnies downing their masks. All looking very concerned and exasperated. Having a really bad day. No more bunnies appear over several minutes. Video ends.
rswail 5mo ago
You've got to wonder why. It makes no sense for xAI to make their own chips. The "integration" of SpaceX/xAI is just standard Musk-move-losses-to-the-company-making-money-at-the-moment bullshit. Apple actually have the runs on the board, xAI has Musk-BS.
- Kon5ole 5mo ago
  >It makes no sense for xAI to make their own chips. The initial investment in chip fabs is so big it can't be justified when the established players already make enough to satisfy demand, but right now they don't so there's an opportunity. It's still risky for sure but it makes some sense that it happens now. Hyperscalers spend 100s of billions yearly, at some point the amount given to TSMC gets larger than starting your own fab. If success was guaranteed (it's not, as AMD and several others have learned) I think many more co's would start their own fabs in the current market. As for why xAI, well why not - many of the others who can afford a fabbing attempt can't risk getting on TSMC's bad side even for a year or two.
  - Danox 5mo ago
    The Chinese will be the one slipping in because of this opportunity. The question is is whether or not you still want to be dependent on outside memory when the Chinese takeover a larger part of the worldwide market?

We don’t know if SpaceX’s plan will actually work, they announced it this year and it is a long-timeline Musk project. These have… mixed results.

UqWBcuFx6NV4r 5mo ago

yeah. right after tesla self-driving.

fhn 5mo ago

that's crazy. Looks like Intel is part of this https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/intel-join-musks-terafab-mega-ai-chip-project-2026-04-07/ https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/intel-...

rswail 5mo ago
Part of the trump bullshit that the USGov has taken 10% of Intel. It's actual corruption and the standard fascist model of corporate takeover by the state.

shye 5mo ago

They can’t. Operating a FAB requires employing PhDs that are willing to work 8 hours shifts with no breaks (each removal of a bunnysuit is an expensive exercise), and there’s no reason to believe SpaceX is capable of hiring such people.

CuriousRose 5mo ago
There was a point made recently by Musk that the whole clean room idea is outdated if you can just ensure the path the silicon takes from wafer to lidding is clean. Seems solvable to me, but leaves me wondering why it hasn’t been done before. I assume there is no human handling of raw/etched silicon now anyway, so why does the whole room need to be clean?
- deadfoxygrandpa 5mo ago
  hmm yeah. its cool that musk knows more about this than the entire industry
  - CuriousRose 5mo ago
    You could probably apply that logic to any innovation in any industry no? Reusable rockets likely got the same ridicule, as did fast satellite internet, self driving and fully electric vehicles. I can understand that Musk does not have the most palatable personality, but floating ideas and at least attempting innovation regardless of outcome over a long time is a net positive for society and should not be discouraged.
    - khriss 5mo ago
      > self driving Aren't we still waiting for that?
    - CamperBob2 5mo ago
      Reusable rockets likely got the same ridicule, as did fast satellite internet, self driving and fully electric vehicles. In those areas, Musk successfully leveraged government largesse to compete with fat, lazy incumbents who had either coasted for decades (rockets and satellite Internet) or who didn't bother to show up to the game (EVs, self-driving and otherwise.) That does not describe the semiconductor industry. Musk has never beaten anybody who actually put up a fight, as far as I'm aware. I guess Blue Origin technically counts, but again that's not exactly TSMC.
      - Danox 5mo ago
        Intel and Microsoft are having that same problem right now when the playing field is level, they have trouble competing.
  - Auracle 5mo ago
    It wouldn’t be the first time an industry got bogged down by prior knowledge. Hell, it happens to all of us.
LargoLasskhyfv 5mo ago
So what? Maybe a hand full of full bunnies per shift, and another dozen or two half-bunnies. There aren't more. This can be seen/validated by some older yt-videos, where something went wrong in the fab, for instance a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOUP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOUP ejecting a wafer in wrong ways into a machine, then being ejected by that onto the floor, and shattering. Causing all systems to stop, and all the warning lights beginning to blink in an expanding cascade. At about 4:30AM. Maybe 20 seconds later two half bunnies with face masks appear, another 10 seconds later a full bunnie. Some gesticulating ensues, full bunnie opens his suit, gets his flip phone, half bunnies downing their masks. All looking very concerned and exasperated. Having a really bad day. No more bunnies appear over several minutes. Video ends.

rswail 5mo ago

You've got to wonder why. It makes no sense for xAI to make their own chips. The "integration" of SpaceX/xAI is just standard Musk-move-losses-to-the-company-making-money-at-the-moment bullshit. Apple actually have the runs on the board, xAI has Musk-BS.

Kon5ole 5mo ago
>It makes no sense for xAI to make their own chips. The initial investment in chip fabs is so big it can't be justified when the established players already make enough to satisfy demand, but right now they don't so there's an opportunity. It's still risky for sure but it makes some sense that it happens now. Hyperscalers spend 100s of billions yearly, at some point the amount given to TSMC gets larger than starting your own fab. If success was guaranteed (it's not, as AMD and several others have learned) I think many more co's would start their own fabs in the current market. As for why xAI, well why not - many of the others who can afford a fabbing attempt can't risk getting on TSMC's bad side even for a year or two.
- Danox 5mo ago
  The Chinese will be the one slipping in because of this opportunity. The question is is whether or not you still want to be dependent on outside memory when the Chinese takeover a larger part of the worldwide market?