Colossus: Can Memphis stop Elon Musk?
“I think we have to ask ourselves, ‘If this project goes away, are we in a better state than we are with the project here?’” Mayor Paul Young said. “I think that’s the fundamental question: ‘Was our community better without it or with an additional $32 million to invest in all of the challenges that we have in our community regarding education, infrastructure, housing?’” (Illustration by Kelsey Bowen/The Daily Memphian)
On a sun-dappled Saturday morning, hundreds of people came down the rugged pothole-ridden roads of Southwest Memphis and into the pews of Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church. Some were angry, others concerned. Many were both.
This is the third part in a series of stories about Elon Musk’s supercomputer Colossus and its impact on Memphis.
Colossus, Part 1: The race to build the world’s most powerful machine in Memphis
Colossus, Part 2: How will TVA, MLGW keep up with xAI’s power needs?
The residents of the Westwood and Boxtown neighborhoods were worried about air quality, pollution and billionaire Elon Musk reshaping their community. Their object of concern, a supercomputer called Colossus operated by Musk’s xAI, is located 3.35 miles west of Mt. Pisgah MBC. The supercomputer is surrounded by at least 30 natural gas turbines that release a shimmering haze of emissions around the clock.
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Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on the intersection of government, public policy, influence and how public dollars are spent.
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