"It’s been known that xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company,
has been using around 15 portable generators to help power its massive supercomputer in Memphis
without yet securing permits. But new aerial images obtained by the Southern Environmental Law Center show that number is now far higher.
The group says these gas turbines combined can generate around 420MW of electricity, .
enough to power an entire city."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/09/elon-musk-xai-memphis.
'Musk fired up his xAI facility in Memphis last summer. He calls the supercomputer “Colossus” and it’s tasked with providing compute power for xAI’s chatbot Grok.
The building that houses Colossus is the size of 13 football fields and Musk has said he plans to double that.
Artificial intelligence requires an immense amount of energy to carry out computations and provide quick responses to user queries.
For example, a query with ChatGPT needs nearly 10 times as much electricity as a typical Google search query,"
"xAI already has contracts to draw 150MW of electricity from Memphis’ local utility, which is enough to power 100,000 homes a year.
But Musk has said he needs even more energy to deal with power fluctuation issues at the plant"
**"
'Pearson is from one of the neighborhoods near xAI and said both of his grandmothers died of cancer in their 60s.
He believes their deaths were caused by living so close to Memphis’ industrial zone.
“Nobody else should be burying their families because these rogue, rich, white, racist people continue to build projects that are suffocating us,” Pearson said.
“This is all preventable.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/09/elon-musk-xai-memphis
"the Southern Environmental Law Center says an emergency order should be issued that requires xAI to cease or suspend the use of the 35 generators.
___
'"In March, three federal bills targeting university campus protests were announced including the Unmasking Hamas Act, which would make it a federal crime subject to 15 years in prison for wearing a mask or other disguise while protesting in an “intimidating” or “oppressive” way.
The bill, which is almost identical to the Unmasking Antifa bill introduced in the wake of the 2020 racial justice protests, does not define “oppressive” or “disguise”
___
If xAI doesn’t comply, the group says, it should be penalized $25,000 each day it violates the Clean Air Act."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/09/elon-musk-xai-memphis
____
"Boxtown began as a community for emancipated slaves and freedmen soon after the signing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, in Shelby County on the southern boundary of the City of Memphis.
Boxtown was so-named because its houses resembled railroad boxcars. "
December 2019, Plains All American Pipeline and Valero Energy Corporation announced their plans to build the Byhalia Connection Pipeline.
This pipeline would start in southwest Memphis to Marshall county, Mississippi, crossing through Boxtown. After being referred to as
the “path of least resistance,”
The people of Boxtown raised concerns about this new pipeline and protested until the project was canceled in July 2021.
"xAI came to Memphis last year, launching its Colossus supercomputer in a new data center
housed in a former Electrolux factory in Memphis’s Boxtown district."
(Sited, not Housed.).
"Whitehaven, informally known as "Blackhaven", is a predominantly African-American community in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.
It was first organized in the late 19th century as a neighborhood for upper-class white families. .
Its current population is about 50,000. "
**
"xAI has bought a 1 million sq ft (92,905 sqm) site for a new data center in Memphis, as Elon Musk’s startup looks to expand its Colossus supercomputer
the land in the Whitehaven area of the city cost xAI $80 million, according to property records"
"The company has purchased three parcels of land at 5400 Tulane Road, Whitehaven, through an affiliate company CTC Properties. It acquired an existing warehouse, as well as two adjacent sites totaling 100 acres.
It is close to the Southaven Combined Cycle natural gas power plant owned by Tennessee Valley Authority, which generates 780MW of power."
according to an operating permit with the Shelby County Health Department for non-stop turbine use from June 2025 to June 2030.
Why does it matter? The Commercial Appeal, a news outlet that obtained the documents, observes that environmental concerns have emerged as the
20-year-old turbines emit hazardous air pollutants (HAP), including formaldehyde,
at levels exceeding the EPA’s 10-ton annual cap
for a single source. (Per the story, the facility’s operating permit self-reports
that the turbines each emit 11.51 tons of HAP per year.
The outlet also notes that 22,000 people live within five miles of the facility.)
with the Colossus supercomputer well on the path to the supercluster size mentioned at the Greater Memphis Chamber’s Annual Chairman’s luncheon in December.
**
"The expansion also follows an $80 million state-of-the-art Colossus Water Recycling Plant, featuring the world’s largest ceramic bioreactor (MBR) wastewater recycling system. Located in Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park,"
____
History:
The Memphis Defense Depot opened in 1942 as a logistical support facility for the military during
World War II, storing supplies and
eventually becoming a storage facility for hazardous materials.
Superfund Site:
In 1992, the site was placed on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Priorities List (NPL) as a
Superfund site due to contamination of soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment from waste releases.
Closure and Redevelopment:
The depot closed in 1997 as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission and was converted into the Memphis Depot Industrial Park.
Remediation and Restoration:
Remediation and environmental restoration activities have been ongoing since the depot's closure,
with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) initially responsible for cleanup and restoration,
followed by the Department of Defense (DoD) in 2010.
Ongoing Activities:
The DoD maintains overall responsibility for site cleanup
and long-term stewardship, with oversight provided by the EPA
and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).
Current Status:
The site is now a mixed-use industrial park with ongoing groundwater monitoring and
potential for additional investigations and changes to the selected remedies.
Community Involvement:
There has been considerable interaction between the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), EPA, and Memphis-Shelby County Health Department (MSCHD) with residents of the DDMT area to address health concerns and solicit input.
Success Story:
The Memphis Depot Business Park has been successfully converted from a once vital military base into a modern industrial park, and in 2004, the Association of Defense Communities selected it as the
Facility of the Year in its awards of excellence program.
"Elon Musk’s xAI powering its facility in Memphis with ‘illegal’ generators
Advocacy group says the firm has doubled the number of methane gas burning turbines it’s using without permits"
"CTC Property will pay $1,654,961 annually in rent,.
with 2.5% yearly increases. After the 21-year lease expires, the company can purchase the property for.
$23,642,293.
The lease agreement does not specify what the 522 acres will be used for.
CTC Property is an affiliate of xAI and was incorporated in Tennessee in March 2024. In July, Brent Mayo of CTC Property filed a certificate of occupancy permit with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development for.
3231 Paul R. Lowry Road. "
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