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Nvidia starts production on first AI supercomputers built in U.S.

One Nvidia factory in the U.S. has already come online, while two others are expected to reach mass production in 12 to 15 months.

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Chip manufacturer Nvidia has officially started production of AI supercomputers at multiple U.S. factories operated through partnerships, marking the first such hardware to be built within the country.

On Monday, Nvidia announced that its Blackwell chips have begun production at a factory operated in partnership with TSMC in Phoenix, Arizona, as detailed in a press release. The chip maker also continues to work on the construction of two future factories to be operated in Texas, in partnership with Foxconn in Houston and Wistron in Dallas.

Nvidia says that mass production of the Blackwell GPUs is expected to ramp up at both Texas facilities within the next 12 to 15 months, together with the Arizona factory representing a total of over a million square feet of U.S. manufacturing space.

“The engines of the world’s AI infrastructure are being built in the United States for the first time,” said Jensen Huang, Nvidia Founder and CEO. “Adding American manufacturing helps us better meet the incredible and growing demand for AI chips and supercomputers, strengthens our supply chain and boosts our resiliency.”

The manufacturer also says that it aims to produce up to $500 billion worth of AI infrastructure in the U.S. within the next four years, through these partnerships and others with Amjor and SPIL. Nvidia also expects the facilities to create hundreds of thousands of jobs, along with driving trillions of dollars in economic security in the decades to come.

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READ MORE ON NVIDIA: Elon Musk explains reasoning for Nvidia chip re-route from Tesla to X

Blackwell chips were designed for use in high-powered AI data center applications, and the news comes as Elon Musk’s xAI, Tesla, and several other companies are working to expand their infrastructure for supercomputing. It also comes amidst an ongoing tariff war launched by the Trump administration, which is expected to hit a wide range of products, including semiconductor chips.

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Musk estimated last year that Nvidia purchases would comprise roughly $3 to $4 billion of Tesla’s $10 billion AI expenditures, and the company spent much of the year constructing a massive supercomputing cluster at its Gigafactory in Texas. The location houses 50,000 Nvidia H100 supercomputing chips, used to help train Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, and Musk also said last June that the facility’s power needs would increase from 130MW to over 500MW in around 18 months.

Additionally, Musk’s xAI began operations at a Memphis, Tennessee facility with 100,000 Nvidia H100 and H200 units last July, and the site is in the process of being expanded to 200,000. Nvidia was also a strategic investor in a $6 billion Series C investment into xAI, alongside fellow GPU manufacturer AMD.

Weeks before the funding was announced in December, it was also reported that xAI had gained a $1.08 billion priority Nvidia order of GB200 AI servers, after Huang was personally approached by Musk.

Musk says xAI has acquired X in $33 billion stock deal

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Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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Tesla plans for new 300+ stall Supercharger with a special surprise for Semi

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(Credit: Tesla Owners East Bay/Twitter)

Tesla is planning for a new 300+ stall Supercharger station that will be an expansion of an existing facility, and the company is planning to add a surprise for the Semi.

The Firebaugh, California Supercharger is currently 72 Superchargers, but Tesla filed for an expansion that will add 232 additional plugs for passenger vehicles, and it also plans to add 16 Semichargers.

This will be the biggest Supercharger station Tesla will have to date, just months after it finished the Supercharger Oasis in Lost Hills, California, which has 168 stalls. This will have 304 total Supercharger stalls, and then the additional 16 Megachargers.

The Firebaugh Supercharger is located on I-5, which is a major reason for why Tesla has chosen the location for additional Megacharger plug-ins, as Tesla Semi Program Manager Dan Priestley said on X earlier today.

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The project was revealed by MarcoRP, a Supercharger tracker.

The expansion is a massive signal for charging demand, especially as Tesla’s Superchargers are opened to numerous automakers and are no longer exclusive to the company’s EVs. Additionally, the installation of Megachargers is a good sign to come for the Tesla Semi program, which aims to truly ramp up this year.

Tesla plans to launch production of the Semi later this year.

It could also mean Tesla is going to expand its footprint of large-scale Supercharger projects in the coming years, which would be a big boost as EV adoption continues to soar in the United States.

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Tesla makes two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has made two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles in its lineup, and the changes come just as the new model year begins production.

Last year, Tesla launched the Model Y Standard, which separated the previous models into the “Premium” category. The Standard vehicles lack several features, including more premium interior materials, acoustic-lined glass, and storage.

@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper

The Model Y “Premium” trims are now getting several new upgrades, which come after the company launched a seven-seat configuration of the vehicle last night in the North American market for an upcharge of $2,500.

The new Model Y seven-seat configuration did not come with just an additional row of seating; it also came with a slew of other goodies that now come standard and were previously only available on the Model Y Performance, which was launched late last year.

All Black Headliner

The new Tesla Model Y Premium trims will now come standard with a black headliner, something that many owners have been requesting for some time.

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The previous grey headliner and trim within the vehicle is now gone; it will be all black on all of the Premium trims from here on out, a welcome change:

Credit: Tesla

Larger and Higher Resolution Center Touchscreen

The center touchscreen in the new Model Y Premium configuration is now larger and has a higher resolution than the previous version.

In last year’s Model Y configurations (apart from the Performance), the center touchscreen was 15.4″. Now, Tesla has decided to go with the 16″ version across all Premium trims, which is a nice step up. It was nice to see this in the Performance, but it is really great to see Tesla include this in the Model Y’s more Premium trim levels.

Tesla Model Y Seven Seater

Tesla launched the latest iteration of the seven-seater for the Model Y on Monday night. Traditionally, the Model Y seats five passengers in total, but there were calls for a more spacious version several years ago.

Tesla released it, but it was extremely tight in the back, basically reserving those back seats for only small people or children.

Credit: Tesla

The new configuration looks to be slightly more spacious in the third row, but not as much space as most would require or want. Instead,

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Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet

Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.

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Credit: Lufthansa

Lufthansa Group has announced a partnership with Starlink that will bring high-speed internet connectivity to every aircraft across all its carriers. 

This means that aircraft across the group’s brands, from Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines to Brussels Airlines, would be able to enjoy high-speed internet access using the industry-leading satellite internet solution.

Starlink in-flight internet

Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release

Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites are expected to provide significantly higher bandwidth and lower latency than traditional in-flight Wi-Fi, which should enable streaming, online work, and other data-intensive applications for passengers during flights.

Starlink-powered internet is expected to be available on the first commercial flights as early as the second half of 2026. The rollout will continue through the decade, with the entire Lufthansa Group fleet scheduled to be fully equipped with Starlink by 2029. Once complete, no other European airline group will operate more Starlink-connected aircraft.

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Free high-speed access

As part of the initiative, Lufthansa Group will offer the new high-speed internet free of charge to all status customers and Travel ID users, regardless of cabin class. Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx shared his expectations for the program.

“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa’s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers. 

“Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers,” Vranckx said. 

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