xAI expands data center power plant near Memphis, faces Clean Air Act lawsuit

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, is under fire from the NAACP and a coalition of environmental justice groups for operating an improvised power plant with unpermitted gas turbines near Memphis, Tennessee, and North Mississippi. The groups allege the facility is poisoning predominantly Black communities and violating the Clean Air Act, having already filed a lawsuit against the company.

Despite the legal action, xAI recently expanded its operations, adding six more gas-powered turbines to its facility, bringing the total to 33. These turbines power the company's 'Colossus 1' and 'Colossus 2' supercomputers, which run and train Musk's Grok AI chatbot. Advocates, represented by Earthjustice and the Southern Environmental Law Center, have asked a federal court to issue an immediate shutdown order to protect residents.

The turbines are located near Southaven, Mississippi, and xAI's Colossus 1 facility is near Boxtown, a historically Black neighborhood in Memphis. Abre’ Conner, the NAACP’s director of environmental and climate justice, stated that xAI's expansion shows a "blatant disregard for the law" and exacerbates health risks. She vowed to continue fighting to ensure compliance with environmental safeguards. Ben Grillot, an attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, emphasized the need for court action.

While gas-powered turbines can sometimes operate without permits as temporary solutions, the NAACP claims xAI's turbines are now likely the leading source of nitrogen oxide emissions in the greater Memphis area. This contributes to smog pollution, for which DeSoto County, Mississippi (where Southaven is located), and Shelby County, Tennessee (home to Memphis), recently received 'F' grades from the American Lung Association.