xAI installed 59 unpermitted gas turbines near Memphis, pollution hits Black communities hardest

Elon Musk's xAI (now SpaceXAI) has installed 59 natural gas turbines to power its Colossus 2 data center near Memphis, Tennessee, without obtaining federal clean air permits, according to internal communications reviewed by Reuters. The number is more than double the 27 turbines the company previously acknowledged. Source: Reuters, via Ground News and Tom's Hardware

The impact

At least 57 of the 59 turbines are located in Southaven, Mississippi, just across the state line from the data center. Source: The Next Web Potential emissions from just 30 of the units could exceed 2,500 tons of nitrogen oxides, 4,000 tons of carbon monoxide, and 22 tons of formaldehyde annually—far above the 100-ton threshold that triggers Clean Air Act permitting. Source: Tom's Hardware The pollution disproportionately affects predominantly Black communities: within five miles on the Tennessee side, about 94% of residents are Black, and in the Mississippi radius, about 46% are Black. Both areas already suffer from high rates of asthma and lung disease. Source: Gizmodo, Ground News

Response and backlash

Residents report the turbines sound like "jet engines" and call the noise "a form of torture." Source: CNBC The NAACP and other groups have filed a lawsuit alleging violations of the Clean Air Act, but the Department of Justice intervened, citing national security. Source: Gizmodo Musk has not publicly commented, but filings show he spent an estimated $1 billion acquiring APR Energy, a mobile turbine firm, to power the data centers. Source: Tom's Hardware The situation has sparked broader backlash against AI data centers, inspiring moratoriums and cost-sharing legislation in other states.