Tesla management said it has begun ordering equipment for Terafab’s initial research fab, targeting operation in the first half of 2027 and first trial production in May or June. Meaningful volume was expected in the third quarter of 2028 or later. The overall project requires large investment over a long period, and how Tesla and SpaceX will split the costs has not been decided. The fab is not already complete, nor have mass-production yields been validated. Assessing the chip supply strategy requires distinguishing progress in equipment delivery, trial production, and actual available output from the scale of long-term announcements.