SpaceXAI sues contractor, alleges overbilling and fraud
SpaceXAI alleges that Darana Hybrid and its CEO engaged in a practice of overbilling to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Samuel Hardiman
Reporter
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.
There are 714 articles by Samuel Hardiman :
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August 2026
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2026 elections
ElectionsMolder to face Hatcher in 5th District
Also, two Memphians — Heidi Kuhn and Marquita Bradshaw — quickly secured Democratic nominations Thursday, Aug. 6.
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2026 elections
ElectionsBrent Taylor wins Republican nomination for 9th District, will face Pearson
State Sen. Brent Taylor continued his political ascendance Thursday night, winning the 9th Congressional District Republican nomination.
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City of Memphis SpaceXAI could have a lot more data centers this time next year, Musk says
The company operates four data centers in the Mid-South. Three of those data centers are powered, in part, by a controversial power plant the company built in Southaven.
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City of Memphis City of Memphis looks to save money on interest
The City of Memphis is looking to refinance about $150 million in debt.
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MetroSpaceXAI made a lot of news last week. Here’s a breakdown.
Two days last week brought a dizzying array of headlines about SpaceXAI’s operations in the Mid-South. So let’s catch up and break down why it all matters and how it fits into the bigger picture.
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Business Something big could become Colossus’ neighbor
A real estate company is looking into building something big on undeveloped land near SpaceXAI’s Colossus data center.
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July 2026
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Metro SpaceXAI contractor said company owes it $570M
The CEO of an Ohio-based industrial contractor said SpaceXAI still owes his company about 40% of its roughly $1.5 billion total bill.
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Metro SpaceXAI agrees to emissions monitoring for MS power plant
SpaceXAI now has a clear regulatory roadmap for retiring the 69 natural gas turbines it operates without air emissions permits in Southaven.
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Metro SpaceXAI agrees to remove Mississippi turbines
SpaceXAI said Thursday, July 30, that it and the State of Mississippi had entered an agreement for winding down some of the company’s sprawling power plant operations in Southaven.
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Metro SpaceXAI buys 10 acres in Southaven
The company’s sprawling campus stretches across the Tennessee-Mississippi state line and includes three data centers.
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Metro SpaceXAI has built another Memphis data center
Elon Musk appeared to acknowledge that the company had built a new data center, known as “Minihard.”
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City of MemphisFedEx founder’s family sets up office to manage fortune, donations
A little more than a year after the death of FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith, his family is becoming more strategic with their investments and philanthropy, said Richard Smith, FedEx executive, director and son of the late magnate.
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City of MemphisWith latest $50M gift, Smith family goes big
“... To receive a single $50-million-dollar commitment from a single family is just unheard of. Not just in Memphis, but anywhere.”
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City of Memphis City could ditch project manager at Liberty Park
Private development at Liberty Park has stalled, and the City of Memphis is looking to end its contract with the joint venture managing the project.
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City of Memphis How will Memphis spend $3.3M in tax money collected from SpaceXAI?
Mayor Paul Young’s administration pitched how it plans to spend about $3.3 million on the 5-mile area around SpaceXAI’s Colossus I data center.
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City of Memphis Council member said he’s not subject of ethics investigation
Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr. is named in a May letter as urging the city administration to hire Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington’s niece in the city’s IT division.
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City of MemphisCouncil chair allegedly pushed staff for donations
In May, the City Council’s chief administrator raised various concerns about Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington. Among them, that the councilperson was using city resources for her and her husband’s church.
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City of MemphisCity of Memphis investigating potential ethics violations
It is not clear what the city’s independent counsel is investigating, but a person familiar with the matter said it could be for potential violations of state, local and federal laws.
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City of Memphis Could Memphis ban data centers? Maybe.
On Tuesday, the Memphis City Council discussed potential zoning changes that would impact data centers.
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North Mississippi State of Mississippi defends Elon Musk’s Southaven turbines
Mississippi aruges that the lawsuit from the Mississippi NAACP about SpaceX’s private power plant in Southaven is a threat to its ability to regulate the state’s environment.
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City of Memphis MPD chief dismissed from Tyré Nichols civil lawsuit
Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis’ dismissal could get the civil case against the City of Memphis, which has dragged on for more than three years, moving again.
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June 2026
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Metro Incoming County Commissioner accused of misusing taxpayer dollars
Incoming Shelby County Commissioner Lashanta Rudd is accused of buying a Nissan Sentra and incurring at least $5,000 in improper expenses using City of Memphis taxpayer dollars.
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City of Memphis Memphis budget passes during fractious day at City Hall
Memphis sanitation workers did not receive the 5% raise they wanted, raising the possibility that city trash might not get picked up.
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City of MemphisSpaceX recommits to building water recycling plant
SpaceXAI representatives met with Memphis Mayor Paul Young and MLGW President Doug McGowen earlier this week.
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