On October 15, reports surfaced indicating that TSMC is engaged in discussions about a potential partnership with Elon Musk's Terafab initiative. TSMC has firmly stated its intention to maintain operational oversight of chip manufacturing in any such alliance. When queried about TSMC's involvement in Musk's chip production strategies, CEO C.C. Wei of TSMC emphasized that the company must retain responsibility for the wafer fab's operation. Earlier, Musk had indicated that in the collaboration, TSMC's role would be limited to leasing production capacity at best, without having authority over the factory's production activities. In response, Wei re-emphasized during a conference call, "Negotiations are still underway, but TSMC must be the operator of the wafer fab." In light of external rumors, Musk also clarified that Terafab would be entirely managed by his enterprises. As of now, while both parties have confirmed ongoing discussions, neither has revealed the specific terms of the potential collaboration.