Elon Musk has developed a supercomputer named 'Colossus' in South Memphis, transforming a site into a powerful facility for training his AI chatbot, Grok. While Musk promoted job creation and economic promises for a predominantly Black neighborhood struggling with pollution, the project introduced significant environmental concerns. xAI installed gas-powered turbines, exacerbating local air quality issues, leading to national support from organizations like the NAACP, which plans to sue xAI under the Clean Air Act for environmental violations.
For many residents, the promise of prosperity came with a price. To feed its computational appetite, xAI deployed three dozen gas-powered turbines across the site, bypassing standard environmental review processes.
Memphis has worse smog pollution than 86% of major U.S. cities, and these turbines would make the computer the largest source of the smog-forming pollutants in the city.
After months of community activism led in large part by Memphis Community Against Pollution, the NAACP filed notice of its intent to sue xAI for alleged Clean Air Act violations.
The neighborhood, which remains predominantly Black, was already choking on industrial pollution, but he promised hundreds of jobs and millions in tax revenue.
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