Elon Musk’s xAI Faces Backlash Over Colossus Data Center Power Plans
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, has disclosed plans to construct an 88-acre solar farm adjacent to its Colossus data center in Memphis. The facility is projected to generate approximately 30 megawatts of electricity—a mere 10% of the center’s total power demand. The MOVE aligns with Musk’s broader sustainability rhetoric but falls short of addressing the site’s energy appetite.
Controversy erupts as xAI bypasses permitting for over 400 megawatts of natural gas turbines already in operation. The Southern Environmental Law Center, collaborating with the NAACP, reports these turbines emit upwards of 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxide annually—a pollutant linked to respiratory ailments and smog formation. University of Tennessee researchers documented a 79% spike in local nitrogen dioxide levels since xAI commenced operations, correlating with increased asthma cases among residents.
