DOJ claims XAI’s unauthorized gas turbines are a matter of “national, economic, and energy security.”

The Justice Department on Monday sided with xAI in a lawsuit that sought to stop the company’s use of… Dozens of unlicensed natural gas turbines Near memphis data centers, according to Wired.

If the NAACP, which filed the lawsuit in April, wins, the Justice Department said, the outcome would undermine America’s “national, economic, and energy security by seeking to cut off the energy supply to artificial intelligence innovations that support the War Department’s military operations.”

The Justice Department memo said Grok is one of four AI models supporting “mission-critical operations,” such as its recent strikes in Iran.

The NAACP began telegraphing its intention to sue XAI Last Juneseeking to end the company’s practice of using “mobile” gas turbines in its Colossus and Colossus 2 data centers. Those efforts failed, and Elon Musk’s AI company has since added more turbines, bringing the total to 57.

Because the turbines remained on trailers, xAI claims they are exempt from Mississippi air pollution regulations for one year. The Southern Environmental Law Center, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the NAACP, says the company’s use still violates federal law, which states that trailer-mounted turbines can be considered fixed and therefore subject to regulation.

The NAACP said the area, already one of the most polluted in the country, has suffered from poor air quality since XAI’s data centers went online.

Since last year, the number of turbines in data centers has doubled, leading to a corresponding increase in three major air pollutants: PM2.5, formaldehyde, and nitrogen oxides (NO2)._S). All three have been linked to asthma and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to formaldehyde increases the risk of cancer, and PM2.5 has been implicated in a range of diseases, from stroke to Alzheimer’s disease.

The company, now a division of SpaceX, is likely to purchase more generators in the coming months or years. in SpaceX IPO filingThe company said it would Another purchase worth $2.8 billion of gas turbines to power its AI data centers over the next three years. Of this amount, at least $2 billion has been allocated to mobile gas turbines.