A shell company called WIT Tech LLC, linked to Elon Musk, has purchased at least six parcels of land totaling more than 6,000 acres near Houston, Texas, in Grimes County, likely for a planned $55 billion Terafab semiconductor factory project [1, 2, 3, 4].
The Terafab project is a joint venture involving Musk’s SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI companies, with a potential total investment of up to $119 billion if all phases proceed [1, 5, 4]. WIT Tech’s most recent Wyoming annual report was signed by Musk aide Jared Birchall, and the company shares a Palo Alto mailing address with xAI, indicating close ties [2, 3, 4]. xAI’s chief legal counsel James Burnham is listed as WIT Tech’s authorized representative for the Texas land deals [2, 3, 4].
Grimes County Commissioners approved tax abatements and designated the area a reinvestment zone to support the Terafab project on June 2, enabling progress toward construction [6]. The factory could span up to 100 million square feet, potentially becoming one of the world’s largest chip factories [6]. Grimes County is a largely rural area of about 30,000 residents, located roughly 60 miles northwest of Houston [6, 4].
The project has met local opposition. At a public meeting, residents criticized the scale and impact on their community. One attendee said, "Your people don't want this. The turnout today is highly indicative that if this were put to a vote, the vast majority of people would vote it down. I think it's incompatible with the region." Marie Egyed of Grimes County Citizens for Responsible Development called the project "disrespectful to the people living in that zone and in this entire county" [6].
Elon Musk first disclosed the Terafab chip factory concept in March 2026 [4]. WIT Tech made the land acquisitions in May 2026 in the weeks prior to early June [1, 2, 3, 4]. The next key step will be the start of construction following required county approvals and zoning procedures.
