Terafab's output would rank in the top 20 of national GDPs

According to Korean media, Elon Musk's Terafab is now talking to almost EVERY Korean chip supplier it can find. Until now, the only known Korean suppliers were HPSP and Hanmi Semiconductor. Now TheElec reports that Tesla and SpaceX are in talks across nearly every category Korean companies can supply, from basic piping parts to process materials to test components. At SEMICON West in San Francisco last week, Terafab staff walked straight to around 10 Korean booths on the morning of day one, including ENF Technology, Dongjin Semichem, Hanmi Semiconductor, Unisem and MiCo. Several companies have already signed NDAs. One got an NDA by email the same evening Terafab visited its booth. Hanmi Semiconductor is discussing TC bonders for Terafab, and HPSP has agreed to supply one high pressure hydrogen annealing tool to the R&D line. MiCo's cleaning unit Komico signed a three way NDA with Tesla and SpaceX about a month ago, and ISC is already swapping samples for rubber test sockets. Tesla and SpaceX do not buy from Chinese suppliers. One Korean supplier put it simply, without China there are only a few options, and Japan is expensive. They also want prices that are CHEAPER than China. $LRCX and $AMAT have reportedly built dedicated Terafab teams, and Fujifilm is meeting Terafab buyers regularly on slurries, photoresist and etchants. The goal is a fab with 1 million wafer starts per month within 10 years, with $16.8 billion of initial investment and more than 3,000 jobs. SpaceX broke ground in Grimes County, Texas this month, and the first 100,000 wafer per month phase is expected before 2030. Logic is being done with $INTC, talks with $TSM are ongoing, and memory will be built separately. One supplier said that if they email Terafab in the middle of the night in the United States, they get an answer in 30 minutes to an hour. $TSLA and $SPCX are building a chip supply chain at Elon speed.