Tesla Eyes US Solar Cell Expansion, Musk Targets 100-Gigawatt Power Push For AI Data Centers
- - Tesla Eyes US Solar Cell Expansion, Musk Targets 100-Gigawatt Power Push For AI Data Centers
Anusuya LahiriFebruary 9, 2026 at 10:31 AM
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Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is moving quickly to turn Elon Musk's massive solar vision into reality, as the company ramps up plans for U.S.-based solar cell manufacturing alongside its broader AI and robotaxi ambitions.
Tesla Scales Up U.S. Solar Manufacturing Plans
The electric vehicle giant has started turning Elon Musk's 100-gigawatt solar goal into an active U.S. manufacturing push by scouting multiple sites to make solar cells.
The company is weighing an expansion of its Buffalo, New York, factory that could lift capacity to about 10 gigawatts.
It has also discussed the possibility of building a second facility elsewhere in New York over the longer term, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
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The site search reportedly includes Arizona and Idaho, and Tesla Vice President Bonne Eggleston is leading the effort while hiring for domestic solar-manufacturing roles.
Musk Ties Solar Expansion To AI's Power Crunch
Musk said last month that Tesla aims to produce 100 gigawatts of solar cells a year to power data centers on Earth and in space, which would dwarf current U.S. capacity.
Last November, Musk predicted that solar electricity would become the world's dominant power source, as the tech industry faces an intensifying energy crunch driven by AI.
Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya warned that the strain could even double electricity rates within five years.
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Wedbush Sees Robotaxis and AI Driving Tesla's Next Chapter
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said Tesla and Musk are entering a defining stretch as AI and robotaxis become the company's next major growth engine.
The analyst believes investors are starting to look beyond near-term demand pressures and focus on Tesla's potential to lead the autonomous vehicle market.
He expects Tesla's robotaxi network to expand to 30 to 35 U.S. cities over the next year.
Ives also called Musk's newly approved pay package a major positive, arguing it locks in Tesla's most important asset through at least 2030 and strengthens his control to keep executing the company's long-term strategy.
The analyst described Tesla's self-driving and AI push as transformative, estimating it could add $1 trillion in value over time and potentially lift Tesla's market cap toward $2 trillion by mid-2026 as Full Self-Driving adoption grows and the Cybercab robotaxi rollout accelerates.
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