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Space travel, 'everywhere internet,' brain implants—Elon Musk quietly making Austin a global tech center

The Tesla Gigafactory in Southeast Travis County is expected to begin production this year. (Tesla Owners Austin/Twitter)
Multi-hyphenated billionaire Elon Musk recently revealed that he lives in a $50,000 prefab tiny home in Boca Chica, Texas, that he rents from his aerospace company SpaceX. Although he says that is his primary home, many of his business ventures are quickly growing in Austin.
Here's an update on five of his startups, from Tesla to his Austin-based philanthropic foundation.
Tesla
Happy #4thofJuly weekend, enjoy 3 drone shots from Tesla GigaTexas, taken just now!
— Tesla Owners Austin (@AustinTeslaClub) July 3, 2021
Factory for the most American made car.
Thanks @Tesla & @elonmusk for choosing #Texas as your home! TSLA
📷 @peterdog15#IndependenceDaypic.twitter.com/IOJN6BvDY2
The $1.1 billion Tesla Gigafactory in Southeast Travis County is growing each day as crews work to make good on Musk's promises: initial limited production by the end of the year and as many as 10,000 jobs. The construction site has attracted acolytes such as the Tesla Owners Austin and local elected officials as well as speculation.
🚘 Toured the Tesla site w/ some of my team on Friday! It's incredible to see how quickly it's coming together. I look forward to checking it out once it's complete. #GigaTexaspic.twitter.com/y1dEqwJFvu
— Vanessa Fuentes 💃🏽 (@VanessaForATX) June 30, 2021
The factory will produce the Model 3 sedan, Model Y SUV and Cybertruck, at least one of which has made its Central Texas debut. Tesla sold 201,250 cars in the second quarter, more than twice as many as it did in the same period last year, despite a global chip shortage, according to a July 2 press release.
Cybertruck at Giga Texas pic.twitter.com/c1RuektPnN
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 16, 2021
In addition to construction, the electric carmaker is in the midst of a local hiring spree, with more than 250 Austin-based jobs posted on its website.
Although the factory is still under construction, questions are already swirling about future projects. The entity Tesla used to buy the site owns more than 2,500 acres along SH 130, according to a May 13 report by the Austin Business Journal. Experts suggested it could be used for Musk's other ventures or serve as the future home of Tesla HQ, following its founder from California to Texas.
SpaceX
Musk's aerospace company SpaceX is not currently hiring in the Austin area but does have scores of open positions in Brownsville and McGregor, where it has a launch facility and rocket development facility, respectively.
However, SpaceX will break ground on a new "state-of-the-art manufacturing facility" in Austin related to its broadband Starlink project, according to job listings posted in March.
Starlink is a forthcoming high-speed, low-latency broadband internet system enabled by a "constellation of low Earth satellites" and suited for populations with little or no connectivity, such as rural areas, according to its website.
It is unclear where the Austin facility will be located but it will manufacture consumer products such as Starlink dishes, Wi-Fi routers and mounting hardware, according to the postings, which are no longer listed.
The Boring Company
Tunnel Rave pic.twitter.com/d3JKOIAsy7
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) December 4, 2020
Musk's tunneling startup—and flamethrower manufacturer—is hiring for 18 Austin-based positions, according to its website. One job posting mentions a research and development site in Bastrop, marking the company's first admission that it has a location in the Austin area, as reported by the Austin Business Journal last month.
The Boring Company built a 1.14-mile research and development tunnel in Hawthorne, California, in 2018. It cost around $10 million to construct and originated at a SpaceX property, according to the website.
Neuralink
Musk's brain implant startup is also hiring in Austin. Its website lists seven positions, including a neurosurgical robot operator and veterinarian. The company has tested its product on monkeys and pigs, prompting pushback from PETA, and Musk tweeted in February that initial human trials could begin as soon as later this year.
Neuralink is working super hard to ensure implant safety & is in close communication with the FDA. If things go well, we might be able to do initial human trials later this year.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 1, 2021
Although the company is headquartered in San Francisco, the postings have fueled speculation that it will expand to a new Austin location for months.
Musk Foundation
The Musk Foundation website is extremely bare. (Musk Foundation)
Musk's philanthropic venture relocated to Austin last summer, ahead of its founder's closely watched move from California to Texas. Founded in 2001, the foundation supports renewable energy, human space exploration, pediatric research, science and engineering education, and the development of artificial intelligence.
The Musk Foundation recently donated $1 million toward the revitalization of downtown Brownsville and new housing opportunities in the area, where SpaceX has a launch facility and is actively hiring.
Please consider moving to Starbase or greater Brownsville/South Padre area in Texas & encourage friends to do so!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2021
SpaceX’s hiring needs for engineers, technicians, builders & essential support personnel of all kinds are growing rapidly.
"There's going to be a need for professionals to be able to have a home near downtown," Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation Executive Director Josh Mejia told Valley Central last month. "We understand that there have been folks who've lived here for many generations, so we'd also like to support that as well."
Musk announced in March that he would donate $20 million to school districts in Cameron County, where he is attempting to incorporate the new city of Starbase, and $10 million to the city of Brownsville. The donations have prompted some to wonder: Could Austin be next?
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- Elon Musk says rumors about his travel are a security issue - austonia ›
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- SpaceX considers building a facility in nearby Bastrop County, east of Austin - austonia ›
Popular
(The White House/Instagram)
President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law on Tuesday, a move that the White House says will unlock hundreds of billions more in semiconductor investment across the country.
Part of that investment could make waves in Central Texas, where semiconductor companies have laid the groundwork for more plants and jobs as a global shortage of semiconductors continues.
For example, Samsung already had a $17 billion semiconductor factory in Taylor on the way. Then in July, documents filed with the state showed that the tech giant is considering 11 chipmaking facilities in the Austin area that it’d build over the next two decades. The proposed $192.1 billion investment would bring more than 10,000 jobs.
\u201cThe CHIPS Act will supercharge our efforts to make semiconductors here in America. It will make cars, appliances, and computers cheaper and lower the costs of everyday goods. And, it will create high-paying manufacturing jobs across the country.\u201d— Joe Biden (@Joe Biden) 1659828240
Micron Technology is another giant that could make a multi-billion regional investment.
At the start of the year, Micron Technology was reportedly considering a new plant in neighboring Caldwell and Williamson counties, though California, North Carolina and Arizona were also being reviewed as potential sites for the plant.
On Tuesday, Micron announced plans to invest $40 billion between now and 2030 for chip manufacturing in the U.S.
In a public video statement, CEO Sanjay Mehrotra noted how semiconductors are essential to many tools that are a part of everyday life such as computers, smartphones and cars.
“Today is a proud moment for the global Micron team and a strong step forward for American high tech manufacturing leadership,” Mehrotra said. The company said specific plans for the investment will be made available in the coming weeks.
\u201cToday, we announced plans to invest $40 billion in the U.S. through the end of the decade to build leading-edge memory #manufacturing. Our investment will create 40k American jobs and strengthen U.S. supply chains. Watch this space! #jobs #innovation https://t.co/WPePuDVJs6\u201d— Micron Technology (@Micron Technology) 1660050842
Recently, the city has made efforts to train Austin residents for the kind of roles companies like Micron and Samsung would try to fill. A couple of months ago, the city announced a “hire local” plan with Workforce Solutions to help people in fields like manufacturing and information technology get training to move up in their careers.
The bipartisan bill includes $52 billion in semiconductor subsidies. Nationwide, these incentives could create thousands of jobs and multiple fabs, the Semiconductor Industry Association estimates. Some of that could happen in the Austin area from companies looking to expand.
NXP Semiconductors is weighing a $2.6 billion expansion and Infineon Technologies is looking at a $700 million expansion. Respectively, those two could add 800 and 100 jobs.
Central Texas has a reputation as a major hub for semiconductors, and the competition with other areas could ramp up in the coming years as others like Qualcomm and Intel consider new facilities. Dallas-based Texas Instruments also celebrated the passing of the CHIPS Act.
“TI has an exciting manufacturing investment roadmap and these provisions will be meaningful to the development of our 300-mm water fabs in Texas and Utah,” the company said in a Tuesday Twitter post.
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(Compass)
It’s slowly but surely becoming easier to buy a house in Austin.
According to the Austin Board of Realtors, the median house price in the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area is $537,475 as of July. Take a look at what that price range can get you.
This two-story brick home is the biggest on the list, with four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms across 2,156 square feet in Round Rock. Characterized by its sky-high ceilings, large windows and newly updated fixtures, the home has a spacious backyard with mature trees, a wooden deck, a lounge area and close proximity to a nearby greenbelt.
This listing is held by Drew Griffin with Compass.
This recently updated three-bedroom, two-bathroom home was built in 1983 but fits in perfectly with the design standards of today. On top of newly-updated floors, roof and windows, this home comes complete with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, a spacious open floor plan and plenty of natural light. The biggest gem of this house is its vaulted and covered back patio, which gives way to a large backyard on a corner lot. At 1,280 square feet, the home is just a few minutes away from The Domain and Q2 Stadium.
This listing is held by Jennifer Buterick and Nicole Marburger with Compass.
Another retro find, this 2,098-square foot home has character to go around and is looking for a caretaker who will love it as much as the last. With four bedrooms and two bathrooms, the house has plenty of room for a home office and is colorfully painted throughout, including bright blue kitchen cabinets. On a third of an acre, this home comes with 12 fruiting trees in the backyard, solar panels, rain-catching barrels and a converted garage with living space.
This listing is held by Niki Duncan with Compass.
This three-bedroom, two-bathroom South Austin home has a wide-open floor plan and sparkling white interiors. The vaulted ceiling in the living room gives height to the room while the fireplace will keep you warm. An airy master suite comes with double pedestal sinks and two walk-in closets, so you don’t have to worry about sharing space with your partner. Enjoy the Texas weather with a private yard, screened-in porch, and fire pit.
This listing is held by Michelle Hendrix and Khani Zulu with Compass.
A retro-on-the-outside, single-story home was built in 1973 but has been given a full modern update on the inside. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,676-square foot home is situated on a half acre of land, complete with an above-ground pool and covered porch to keep you shady during the oppressive heat. Inside, you’ll walk directly into an open living and dining area, which features a floor-to-ceiling tiled fireplace, that leads to the breakfast nook, and kitchen with mosaic-tiled backsplash and a built-in wine rack.
This listing is held by Derek Peterson with Compass.