Musk’s xAI is building a small solar farm adjacent to the Colossus data center

AI startup xAI, founded by Elon Musk, told city and county planners in Memphis last week that it plans to build a solar farm next to its Colossus data center — one of the world’s largest facilities for training AI models.

The project will occupy 88 acres to the west and south of the data center. A 136-acre vacant lot is owned by the developer who also owns the Colossus property that currently borders the site. Given the proposed size, the solar farm would likely produce about 30 megawatts of electricity, only about 10% of the data center’s needs. Estimated energy use.

XAI has been heavily criticized for its work 400 MW of natural gas turbines Without permits, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). The legal organization, working with the NAACP, says xAI has operated at least 35 turbines capable of releasing more than 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxide_X Pollution – nitrogen oxide emissions that contribute to smog and respiratory problems – annually.

The turbines sparked fierce opposition from residents in nearby Boxtown, a majority black community where researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, found that nitrogen dioxide concentration levels peaked. 79% increase In the immediate surroundings of the data center after XAI operations begin. Community activists have reported an increase in asthma attacks and respiratory problems since the facility opened.

The AI ​​company said it intends to use the turbines so it can secure additional power, but local officials have given a pass to XAI It works 15 turbines until January 2027.

In September, XAI said it would build… 100 MW solar farm Nearby, which will be paired with 100 megawatt batteries to provide a 24/7 source of electricity.

The company did not disclose the total cost of this project, but the solar farm’s developer, Seven States Power Company, received $439 million from the USDA. Of this amount, $414 million is an interest-free loan.

The federal award is noteworthy given that many clean energy grants and loans have been canceled by the government Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy Under the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, XAI added gas turbines in Mississippi to power its Colossus 2 data center. yet, 59 of them are on siteThe company considers 18 of them temporary, meaning regulators are not tracking the pollution they cause.