What I Saw Outside Elon Musk’s Massive Colossus 2 Data Center | WSJ
SpaceX’s Colossus 2 data center south of Memphis is rapidly expanding and could eventually consume as much electricity as a small city. Local residents and activists are raising concerns about constant noise and air pollution from temporary natural-gas turbines, while multiple lawsuits over the facility are pending.
SpaceX’s Colossus 2 AI data center, located about eight miles south of the company’s original Colossus facility near Memphis, has become a major source of computing capacity for other companies. The site is being expanded rapidly and is expected to be part of a larger complex with roughly 1 million GPUs. SpaceX is also building a power plant next to the facility and currently relies on nearly 60 natural-gas turbines capable of producing more than 500 megawatts at peak.
Residents and the Safe and Sound Coalition, led by local activist Shannon Samsa, say the facility’s continuous low-frequency noise is disruptive and that the temporary turbines could worsen local air pollution. SpaceX attributes the noise to the turbines, says it uses advanced emissions controls, and plans to eventually shut them down. Multiple lawsuits alleging noise and air-pollution impacts are pending, while the U.S. Department of Justice has asked a federal court to dismiss one case, arguing the facility is important to national security.