Drone observer Joe Tegtmeyer made another pass over the Advanced Technology Chip Fab site — known as Terafab — and the foundation work is clearly accelerating. The joint venture between Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI is moving from planning into the ground, and the latest footage gives the clearest look yet at where things stand.
1. The main foundation footprint is taking shape — and it's rectangular
Most of the visible progress is concentrated on the main foundation, which Tegtmeyer describes as currently appearing rectangular. That geometry matters: it gives the first real indication of the building's orientation and scale on the site. Foundation shapes can evolve as construction phases layer in, but a defined perimeter means the civil engineering team has committed to a layout. This is no longer a cleared field — it's a building in its earliest structural form.
2. GeoPiers are actively working the foundation zone
GeoPiers — a ground improvement technique that installs densely compacted aggregate columns into weak or soft soil — are being driven into the section of the foundation where gravel mix has already been placed on the top soil. This is significant. GeoPiers are used when native soil can't reliably support heavy structural loads on its own. A chip fabrication facility requires extraordinarily stable, vibration-controlled foundations; even minor ground movement can compromise lithography equipment operating at nanometer tolerances. Their presence signals the engineering team is treating this as a precision-grade build from the ground up.
3. This site is the Giga Texas North Campus — the full-scale fab is planned elsewhere
According to background research, the current construction activity is taking place on the North Campus of Giga Texas in Austin, which is designated for initial prototype fab operations. The full-scale Terafab manufacturing complex is separately planned for Grimes County, Texas, near the Gibbons Creek Reservoir. What's being built now is effectively the proving ground — but the foundation work underway still represents serious capital commitment, not a pilot sketch.
4. The project's financial scale is unlike anything in Texas history
SpaceX has estimated an initial investment of $55 billion for Terafab, with total investment potentially reaching $119–$122 billion across all development phases, according to county filings. To put that in context: on July 15, 2026, Anderson-Shiro CISD and Iola ISD approved $1.66 billion in tax breaks tied to the project — a figure that reflects just how seriously local governments are treating this as a generational economic event. The foundation being poured right now is the physical start of that commitment.
5. The chip targets explain why the construction standards are so demanding
Terafab is designed to manufacture chips at 2-nanometer process technology, with Intel contributing expertise at the 18A process node. The facility's stated goal is to produce one terawatt of compute hardware per year — feeding Tesla's Full Self-Driving systems, Cybercab robotaxis, Optimus robots, and SpaceX's radiation-hardened satellite processors. That product mix, spanning consumer autonomy hardware and deep-space-rated components, is why the foundation engineering is being handled with this level of care. You don't pour a slab for a warehouse; you build a structure that can house equipment sensitive enough to measure in atoms.
Elon Musk announced the Terafab venture on March 21, 2026, and Intel joined on April 7. Less than four months later, GeoPiers are in the ground. The pace from announcement to active foundation work is fast by any construction standard — and with the Grimes County full-scale site still ahead, what's happening at Giga Texas North Campus right now is just the opening act.
Related Gear
Gear up your Tesla with tested, custom-fit BASENOR accessories — shop Tesla accessories →
Sources & reporting notes
The links below identify the material source records used for this report.
- @JoeTegtmeyer on X (2026-07-22T18:30:09.000Z) — Direct source
Source links are preserved as published or accessed. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.
The BASENOR Editorial Desk covers Tesla, SpaceX, and related technology, curating reporting from primary sources — official accounts, regulatory filings, and software release data. Every article passes source-record and fact-checking review before publication. About the newsroom.
This report was curated by the BASENOR Editorial Desk from the sources listed above. Read our editorial standards or email editorial@basenor.com to report an error.
