Elon Musk took the stage in Austin on Saturday night for what he called a "profoundly important announcement … the most epic chip-building exercise in history, by far." His goal: producing 1 trillion watts (1 terawatt) of compute power per year, most of it deployed in space.

Why it matters: Musk said his Terafab chip-building project — a joint effort of his Tesla, xAI and SpaceX companies — is "the next step towards becoming a galactic civilization" and turning "science fiction to science fact."

Driving the news: Musk said the project will kick off with an advanced technology fab (semiconductor manufacturing facility) in Austin — headquarters of Tesla and home of its Gigafactory. His Neuralink, Boring, and SpaceX companies also have growing Texas operations.

• Musk's ambition is to manufacture his own chips for AI, humanoid robots and space data centers.
• Speaking with dramatic lighting at the historic Seaholm Power Plant downtown, Musk said his "existing supply chain" is "much less than we would like. And so we either build the Terafab, or we don't have the chips."

Zoom out: It would be the second giant chip-building plant in the Austin area. A 2.7 million square-foot Samsung chip plant under construction in Taylor will be among the world's largest chipmaking setups.

Between the lines: Musk "showed an animation of how SpaceX could potentially launch satellites from the surface of the moon," Bloomberg notes, "and reiterated his vision for a future filled with 'amazing abundance' — something he has been touting in recent months."

• For instance, he said anyone who wants to will be able to fly to Saturn.

Watch the announcement.

Colorectal cancer is now the deadliest cancer for Americans under 50, per new JAMA research.

Why it matters: March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and screening more young adults for colorectal cancer could save lives.

• The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered its recommended starting age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45 in 2021, meaning most insurers are now required to cover it starting at that age.

By the numbers: More young people are being diagnosed in Texas, where colorectal cancer cases in people under 50 have risen from around 6.5 per 100,000 people in the early 2000s to 8.8 per 100,000 people.

What's happening: "No one is 100% certain" about what is causing the uptick in colorectal cancer cases in young people, says gastroenterologist Austin Chiang.

• "The leading hypothesis is around the environment and ultra-processed foods and something that we're probably eating," he says.

Catch up quick: Colorectal cancer begins as growths called polyps in the colon or rectum. Colonoscopies, which allow doctors to visually scan for and remove those polyps, remain the "gold standard" screening tool available, according to Chiang.

Zoom in: A recent study published in Advanced Science by researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center found increased stiffness of the colon, spurred by chronic inflammation, in young patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

• Researchers hope the study will offer new approaches for preventing and treating early-onset colorectal cancer.

💭 Asher's thought bubble: I had my first colonoscopy earlier this year and it honestly was a quite easy, totally painless process.

Symptoms

🚦 Vice President Vance's visit to Austin today for a Republican National Committee fundraiser will prompt road closures between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and downtown and East Cesar Chavez Street between Red River and Brazos streets overnight. (CBS Austin)

🛫 Delta is adding new service from Austin to Phoenix and Bozeman, Montana. (TravelPulse)

🏊‍♀️ Barton Springs Pool has reopened after being closed for nearly four weeks to demolish an obsolete bypass structure. (KXAN)

Lowriders are rolling onto U.S. mail as the Postal Service launches a stamp collection honoring the artistry and tradition of the culture.

Why it matters: Putting lowriders on U.S. postage elevates a tradition born in Mexican American neighborhoods to a national audience.

What they're saying: USPS' stamp program honors "things that represent the best of our nation," USPS spokesperson Albert Ruiz tells Axios.

• "And our new Lowriders stamps continue that proud tradition of celebration and inclusion," he says.

Zoom in: "Lowriders celebrate creativity, heritage, and community proving that sometimes the best way to stand tall is to ride low," Austin Lowriding wrote on Instagram when the stamps were unveiled.

What's next: The 15-forever stamp sheet is available for $11.70.