π UPDATE β August 24, 2026
Aerial observer Joe Tegtmeyer captured fresh footage on August 23, 2026 showing active land and tree clearing underway at the Terafab site β marking the official start of Phase 1 construction on the western side of the property. The joint SpaceX & Tesla mega-building is planned across 10 total phases, making this early ground prep just the first step of a long buildout. The clearing work is concentrated near the western boundary, where the massive structure is expected to take shape first.
With Phase 1 now visibly underway, the scale of the eventual 10-phase footprint reinforces just how transformative the full Terafab complex will be β dwarfing most industrial facilities in the United States when complete.
βΆ Watch: Terafab Phase 1 site clearing footage via @JoeTegtmeyer
π UPDATE β August 20, 2026
New aerial footage from Joe Tegtmeyer reveals that Tesla and SpaceX are jointly developing an Advanced Technology Chip Fab on Giga Texas's East Campus β a facility that broke ground in April 2026. This isn't Terafab itself, but rather an R&D precursor designed for rapid chip prototyping and development ahead of the much larger Terafab complex planned roughly 100 miles (~165 km) to the east. The joint Tesla/SpaceX nature of the East Campus fab adds a new dimension to the broader semiconductor buildout strategy, suggesting both companies intend to share advanced chip R&D infrastructure before scaling to full Terafab production volumes.
πΉ Watch Joe Tegtmeyer's full flyover update β
Tesla's Terafab semiconductor manufacturing site in Grimes County, Texas is shaping up to be one of the largest industrial footprints in the state. Aerial tracker Joe Tegtmeyer reported overnight that the project currently sits at roughly 6,640 acres (2,690 hectares) of owned land β with an additional 2,300 acres (930 hectares) still working through final acquisition stages.
Once those pending parcels close, the total site would reach nearly 9,000 acres β a footprint comparable to a small city. Terafab is purpose-built for advanced chip production, distinct from Tesla's vehicle assembly operations, and is widely understood to support the company's push toward in-house semiconductor supply for vehicles, AI hardware, and robotics. At this scale, the land alone suggests Tesla is planning for decades of capacity growth, not just a single fab building.
Tegtmeyer's note that the site is "only going to grow much larger" implies additional land deals beyond the current 2,300-acre pending tranche are likely already in motion. How that capacity ultimately gets allocated β between automotive chips, Dojo AI training hardware, or Optimus robotics β remains the open question worth watching.
Related Gear
Gear up your Tesla with tested, custom-fit BASENOR accessories β shop Tesla accessories β
Sources & reporting notes
The links below identify the material source records used for this report.
- @JoeTegtmeyer on X (2026-08-17T00:57:46.000Z) β 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 β 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.
