An unnamed person described as familiar with TSMC’s internal affairs reportedly argued that building a chip factory is easier than getting it to produce chips reliably—and suggested Elon Musk might find sending rockets to Mars easier than making chip manufacturing work. That is an attributed opinion, not a verified quotation from a named TSMC executive or an official company position. SpaceX’s filing describes TERAFAB as a planned project with Tesla, not an operating chip factory.
Who made the Mars comparison?
Wccftech reported on October 9, 2026, summarizing a report from South Korea’s Hankyung, that an unnamed individual familiar with TSMC’s internal affairs made the comparison. The person was not identified, and the available account does not establish that they spoke for TSMC. The comparison should therefore be read as reported commentary, not as a formal TSMC assessment or a confirmed statement by a named executive. Wccftech’s report
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The account also relayed views from an unnamed Samsung official and Hanwha Securities analyst Park Joon-yong. They discussed how long it can take to develop manufacturing expertise and the possible value of Intel’s experience. These are reported assessments, not independently verified yield data or proof that one company’s process is superior.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Why is it hard to get good yields from a chip fab?
Building the facility is only the first challenge
A fabrication plant needs specialized facilities and equipment, but constructing the building does not mean it can consistently turn out usable chips. The harder task described in the report is bringing the many manufacturing steps and tools together so that the process repeatedly produces chips that meet specifications.
#1 Best Overall
Small process differences can affect the result
The unnamed source’s point, as summarized by Wccftech, was that semiconductor manufacturing is sensitive to process execution: a defect or a small timing difference in a step can affect yield. Yield is the share of chips from a production run that meet the required specifications. If too many chips fail, a fab may produce a large number of dies without delivering a similarly large number of usable parts.
That makes yield a measure of repeatable manufacturing performance, not simply whether a fab has started operating. It also explains why experience matters: equipment settings and process steps have to be tuned together for mass production. The article reports that an unnamed Samsung official said this accumulation of expertise could take at least 30 years. That is the official’s reported view, not an established timetable for TERAFAB or a verified forecast.
Rank #2
What is TERAFAB supposed to make?
In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SpaceX describes TERAFAB as a planned effort with Tesla to integrate chip design, fabrication and advanced packaging. The stated applications include chips for vehicles and robots on Earth, as well as chips for computing in space. SpaceX gives a long-term goal of one terawatt of annual compute-production capacity; this is an ambition, not a report of achieved output or installed capacity. SpaceX’s SEC filing
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The filing does not say that TERAFAB is already producing chips. It says specific projects, development timelines, milestones and capital expenditures had not yet been determined. It also cautions that the project may not succeed or reach its objectives on the expected timeline. SpaceX expects to continue sourcing a significant portion of its compute hardware from third-party suppliers.
Rank #3
What the comparison does—and does not—tell us
The Mars line is a vivid way to express the difficulty of manufacturing chips consistently; it is not an engineering comparison showing that a Mars mission is objectively easier or harder than building a high-yield fab. The available report supplies no independent yield figures, TERAFAB production results or technical analysis that would settle that question.
For now, the key distinction is between the project’s announced scale and its disclosed maturity. SpaceX has described a broad goal and intended uses, while leaving project-level scope, schedules, milestones and spending undecided. Evidence of actual production and stable yields would be needed to judge how far the plan has progressed.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
