Inside the Dirty, Dystopian World of AI Data Centers

"Training these models takes a staggering amount of energy; if run at full strength for a year, Colossus would use as much electricity as 200,000 American homes. When fully operational, Musk has written on X, this facility and two other xAI data centers nearby will require nearly two gigawatts of power. Annually, those facilities could consume roughly twice as much electricity as the city of Seattle."

"To get Colossus up and running fast, xAI built its own power plant, setting up as many as 35 natural-gas turbines-railcar-size engines that can be major sources of smog-according to imagery obtained by the Southern Environmental Law Center. Pearson coughed as we drove by the facility. The scratch in my throat worsened, and I rolled up my window."

Colossus, a massive data center in southwest Memphis operated by xAI, trains Grok, an advanced generative-AI model. The facility requires extraordinary amounts of electricity—consuming as much power annually as 200,000 American homes when fully operational. xAI constructed its own power plant with up to 35 natural-gas turbines to supply the facility's energy demands. When combined with two nearby xAI data centers, these facilities will require nearly two gigawatts of power, consuming roughly twice the annual electricity of Seattle. The natural-gas turbines generate significant air pollution, creating visible smog and noticeable air quality degradation in the surrounding Memphis community. This industrial megaproject exemplifies the massive infrastructure requirements for training state-of-the-art artificial intelligence models.

Read at The Atlantic