Elon Musk may be moving toward TSMC's terms on Terafab, according to a Nov. 2 report from Taiwan's Digitimes. Digitimes cites supply-chain talk. Neither Musk nor TSMC has confirmed it.
What Digitimes reports
Digitimes writes that Musk had insisted on building and running the fab himself, and would at most have let TSMC sublease part of the site. It now says he has become more pragmatic and wants to reopen talks with TSMC. Only the opening of the article is outside Digitimes' paywall. Wccftech, summarising the full report, says operational control and joint investment are on the table. It adds that advanced chip packaging is also part of the discussion.
TSMC's position
The South China Morning Post reports that TSMC chairman and CEO C.C. Wei confirmed the talks on the company's third-quarter earnings call. He said the plant «has got to be run by TSMC». According to the SCMP, TSMC has sent teams to Texas to look at expansion beyond its Arizona hub. Wei said the company was discussing with a potential Terafab customer whether it would use capacity at the Texas complex.
What is still unknown
The reports give no deal terms, ownership split, timeline or chip volumes. Until either company announces something, this is an unconfirmed report.
