News
Tesla Gigafactory in Lithuania reimagined within Minecraft game
Have you ever wanted something so badly that you doodled and thought and chatted about it nonstop? Vladas Lašas, a famous Lithuanian entrepreneur, is one of those dreamers turned pragmatists. And his vision is about a Tesla Gigafactory coming to his country.
Lašas wrote last month in his column at Verslo žinios, the main Lithuanian business daily, that Tesla Motors’ CEO Elon Musk should search no further than Lithuania as a European location to build its second Gigafactory, the lithium ion battery production plant.
The column has inspired a movement for what is being heralded as a “beauty contest” in Lithuania. Representatives moved the idea forward, agreeing that full support by the government, non-conventional solutions, and a well-prepared offer were what was needed to bring a major investment such as Tesla’s Gigafactory to Lithuania. With Lašas’ inspiration, enthusiasts, a Facebook meetup, a panel discussion with top government officials, a communication hackathon with 1K EUR prize, and a budget to implement the winning idea have all been part of the larger plan to convince Musk that theirs is the right country at the right time for a Gigafactory.
Sixty young creative designers formed 13 teams to work on the ideas how to pitch Lithuania to Tesla. And now one of those “non-conventional solutions” is hitting YouTube screens all over the globe. Titled, “Minecraft Tesla Gigafactory in Lithuania,” the YouTube captures how, in two days, a team of Lithuanians did what it took Tesla to do in two years: build a Gigafactory. Of course, the caveat is that the Lithuanians have designed a Minecraft Gigafactory, not an actual production facility. Forty Minecraft builders completed the project in 35 hours.
Calling it “a virtual replica of the world’s grandest manufacturing facility,” the simulation begins with little more than a production floor and grows and expands as cranes hoist building elements into place and structures rise in 3-D verticals. The assembly takes place amidst a whirlwind of computer-generated (CG) chaos that turns into perfected architectural form. A roof of solar panels is gently placed to complete the first stage of the “construction.”
Next, an exterior floating barge arises from a waterway beside a pyramidal structure. Inside glimpses direct the viewer’s eye to an assembly line. The Tesla logo, too, is build segment by segment through the Minecraft process. The Minecraft designers reveal that their proposed Tesla Gigafactory in Lithuania would be built near two international airports and within the close radius of 1.3 inhabitants. They posed rhetorically, “Why Kronis?” and provide the answers: it is an economic free zone with the capacity to include a pumped storage power plant, stored energy, electricity generators, and wind energy. It would be an environmentally friendly area with lush green spaces.
“Welcome to the Dream,” the video invites viewers as it comes to a conclusion. Instead of CG, however, we see real human designers at computer screens and the imagery of Lašas as he originally proclaimed his idea for a Lithuanian Tesla Gigafactory. The designers collaborate, scrutinize their work intently, and laugh, all the while hoping that it is their imagination and technical know-how that can convince Musk that Lithuanians “can build anything, anywhere.”
Verslo žinios reports that Tesla may invest about 5 billion euros into this next Gigafactory project, with associated direct and indirect job creation numbering around 17,000 jobs.
News
IM Motors co-CEO apologizes to Tesla China over FUD comments
Liu said later investigations showed the accident was not caused by a brake failure on the Tesla’s part, contrary to his initial comments.
Liu Tao, co-CEO of IM Motors, has publicly apologized to Tesla China for comments he made in 2022 suggesting a Tesla vehicle was defective following a fatal traffic accident in Chaozhou, China.
Liu said later investigations showed the accident was not caused by a brake failure on the Tesla’s part, contrary to his initial comments.
IM Motors co-CEO issues apology
Liu Tao posted a statement addressing remarks he made following a serious traffic accident in Chaozhou, Guangdong province, in November 2022, as noted in a Sina News report. Liu stated that based on limited public information at the time, he published a Weibo post suggesting a safety issue with the Tesla involved in the crash. The executive clarified that his initial comments were incorrect.
“On November 17, 2022, based on limited publicly available information, I posted a Weibo post regarding a major traffic accident that occurred in Chaozhou, suggesting that the Tesla product involved in the accident posed a safety hazard. Four hours later, I deleted the post. In May 2023, according to the traffic police’s accident liability determination and relevant forensic opinions, the Chaozhou accident was not caused by Tesla brake failure.
“The aforementioned findings and opinions regarding the investigation conclusions of the Chaozhou accident corrected the erroneous statements I made in my previous Weibo post, and I hereby clarify and correct them. I apologize for the negative impact my inappropriate remarks made before the facts were ascertained, which caused Tesla,” Liu said.
Investigation and court findings
The Chaozhou accident occurred in Raoping County in November 2022 and resulted in two deaths and three injuries. Video footage circulated online at the time showed a Tesla vehicle accelerating at high speed and colliding with multiple motorcycles and bicycles. Reports indicated the vehicle reached a speed of 198 kilometers per hour.
The incident drew widespread attention as the parties involved provided conflicting accounts and investigation details were released gradually. Media reports in early 2023 said investigation results had been completed, though the vehicle owner requested a re-investigation, delaying the issuance of a final liability determination.
The case resurfaced later in 2023 following a defamation lawsuit filed by Tesla China against a media outlet. According to a court judgment cited by Shanghai Securities News, forensic analysis determined that the fatal accident was unrelated to any malfunction on the Tesla’s braking or steering systems. The court also ruled that the media outlet must publish an apology, address the negative impact on Tesla China’s reputation, and pay a penalty of 30,000 yuan.
Elon Musk
SpaceX is exploring a “Starlink Phone” for direct-to-device internet services: report
The update was reportedly shared to Reuters by people familiar with the matter.
SpaceX is reportedly exploring new products tied to Starlink, including a potential Starlink-branded phone.
The update was reportedly shared to Reuters by people familiar with the matter.
A possible Starlink Phone
As per Reuters’ sources, SpaceX has reportedly discussed building a mobile device designed to connect directly to the Starlink satellite constellation. Details about the potential device and its possible release are still unclear, however.
SpaceX has dabbled with mobile solutions in the past. The company has partnered with T-Mobile to provide Starlink connectivity to existing smartphones. And last year, SpaceX initiated a $19.6 billion purchase of satellite spectrum from EchoStar.
Elon Musk did acknowledge the idea of a potential mobile device recently on X, writing that a Starlink phone is “not out of the question at some point.” Unlike conventional smartphones, however, Musk described a device that is “optimized purely for running max performance/watt neural nets.”
Starlink and SpaceX’s revenue
Starlink has become SpaceX’s dominant commercial business. Reuters’ sources claimed that the private space company generated roughly $15–$16 billion in revenue last year, with about $8 billion in profit. Starlink is estimated to have accounted for 50% to 80% of SpaceX’s total revenue last year.
SpaceX now operates more than 9,500 Starlink satellites and serves over 9 million users worldwide. About 650 satellites are already dedicated to SpaceX’s direct-to-device initiative, which aims to eventually provide full cellular coverage globally.
Future expansion of Starlink’s mobile capabilities depends heavily on Starship, which is designed to launch larger batches of upgraded Starlink satellites. Musk has stated that each Starship launch carrying Starlink satellites could increase network capacity by “more than 20 times.”
Elon Musk
FCC accepts SpaceX filing for 1 million orbital data center plan
The move formally places SpaceX’s “Orbital Data Center” concept into the FCC’s review process.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has accepted SpaceX’s filing for a new non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite system of up to one million spacecraft and has opened the proposal for public comment.
The move formally places SpaceX’s “Orbital Data Center” concept into the FCC’s review process, marking the first regulatory step for the ambitious space-based computing network.
FCC opens SpaceX’s proposal for comment
In a public notice, the FCC’s Space Bureau stated that it is accepting SpaceX’s application to deploy a new non-geostationary satellite system known as the “SpaceX Orbital Data Center system.” As per the filing, the system would consist of “up to one million satellites” operating at altitudes between 500 and 2,000 kilometers, using optical inter-satellite links for data transmission.
The FCC notice described the proposal as a long-term effort. SpaceX wrote that the system would represent the “first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization – one that can harness the Sun’s full power.” The satellites would rely heavily on high-bandwidth optical links and conduct telemetry, tracking, and command operations, with traffic routed through space-based laser networks before being sent to authorized ground stations.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr highlighted the filing in a post on X, noting that the Commission is now seeking public comment on SpaceX’s proposal. Interested parties have until early March to submit comments.
What SpaceX is proposing to build
As per the FCC’s release, SpaceX’s orbital data center system would operate alongside its existing and planned Starlink constellations. The FCC notice noted that the proposed satellites may connect not only with others in the new system, but also with satellites in SpaceX’s first- and second-generation Starlink networks.
The filing also outlined several waiver requests, including exemptions from certain NGSO milestone and surety bond requirements, as well as flexibility in how orbital planes and communication beams are disclosed, as noted in a Benzinga report. SpaceX noted that these waivers are necessary to support the scale and architecture of the proposed system.
As noted in coverage of the filing, the proposal does not represent an immediate deployment plan, but rather a framework for future space-based computing infrastructure. SpaceX has discussed the idea of moving energy-intensive computing, such as AI workloads, into orbit, where continuous solar power and large physical scale could reduce constraints faced on Earth.
IM Motors co-CEO apologizes to Tesla China over FUD comments
SpaceX is exploring a “Starlink Phone” for direct-to-device internet services: report
