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SpaceX files for $55 billion semiconductor fab in rural Texas for Musk’s Terafab — total chipmaking fab investment could reach $119 billion

SpaceX has filed a property tax abatement application in Grimes County, Texas, for a semiconductor fab that would cost $55 billion in its initial phases and up to $119 billion if all planned expansions are completed.

The filing, posted on the county government’s website ahead of a public hearing scheduled for June 3, describes the project as a “multi-phase, next-generation, vertically integrated semiconductor manufacturing and advanced computing fabrication facility” to be built at the Gibbons Creek Reservoir site, roughly 90 miles northeast of Austin.

The capital figures in this filing far exceed what was disclosed when Elon Musk announced Terafab in March, where the project carried a $20 billion price tag. Musk later confirmed during Tesla’s earnings call that SpaceX would handle high-volume chip manufacturing while Tesla operates a smaller R&D pilot line at its Austin campus. The Grimes County filing appears to be SpaceX’s first formal step toward securing a site for that production facility.

Movement Triggers a Hidden ‘Brain Cleaning’ Mechanism, Study Shows

We already know that moving your body is important for brain health, but a new study reveals a possible reason why: It could be triggering a kind of hydraulic pump that flushes out fluid in the brain.

By studying mice and conducting simulations, researchers at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) have found that movements in the abdominal muscles can ripple all the way up to the brain, potentially cleaning out waste materials that build up during the day.

It’s tangible evidence that what goes on in our brains and our bodies isn’t so separate after all, and a good reminder to get that body moving, in whatever way works for you, throughout the day.

Artificial intelligence accelerates discovery of next-generation disinfectants

Chemists and computer scientists tapped AI to find new disinfectants to combat the growing threat of dangerous “superbugs.”

The Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling published their computational-experimental framework for developing quaternary ammonium compounds, or QACs, to kill bacteria.

The method yielded 11 new QACs that show activity against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

Hologram technology where ‘light becomes the key’ enables hard-to-copy security

A new type of hologram technology has been developed that uses the motion of light as a key, revealing information only under specific conditions. This is gaining attention as a novel approach that can simultaneously overcome the limitations of existing optical communication and security technologies.

A Token of Our Imagination: The Invisible Economy Powering GenAI

Ever wonder what actually happens inside the AI after you hit “Enter”?

You type a prompt into your favorite generative AI, and within seconds, your screen fills with exactly what you asked for—whether it’s a quarterly report or a cinematic image of a cyberpunk golden retriever. It feels like absolute magic.

But behind that seamless curtain lies a bustling, microscopic economy running entirely on a digital currency you’ve probably heard of but might not fully understand: the token.

Most of us only ever see the input and the output. We don’t see the internal cash register ringing, the mathematical gymnastics, or the sprawling “assembly line” churning through billions of calculations.

What actually happens between the moment you hit send and the moment your final masterpiece appears? In my newest blog post, I peel back the curtain to trace the fascinating journey of an AI token.

I break down this invisible economy—from the “toll booth” of the input phase to the heavy lifting of the output phase—and show you exactly how the machine balances the books.


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