Opinion: Memphis has the chance to lead the AI revolution
“Memphis is at a crossroads, and the path to vitality lies in bold economic development.”
Topic: xAI
RSSThere are 98 article(s) tagged xAI:
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June 2025
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City tests air quality near xAI sites
The city conducted the testing following community concern about Elon Musk-founded xAI’s use of natural gas turbines at its supercomputer in Southwest Memphis.
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Elon Musk talks xAI in Memphis and beyond
Billionaire Elon Musk shed new light last week on exactly what technology his artificial intelligence company has in Memphis, and what his plans are for the future of xAI.
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XAI stockpiling massive equipment at vacant Mississippi lot
Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission shed further light on xAI and Solaris Energy Infrastructure’s joint venture. They also offer further confirmation that xAI’s plans in the Memphis metro area will likely cross state lines.
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David vs. Goliath: NAACP readies lawsuit against Musk’s xAI over turbines
They plan to sue Elon Musk’s xAI for alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act, stemming from the company’s use of natural gas turbines to partially power its Southwest Memphis supercomputer.
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Sign of the future: PURE, xAI teamup shows teens ‘what welding can do’
A decrepit cemetery sign sparked a partnership between a Memphis school and Elon Musk-founded xAI.
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Political Roundup: XAI divide grows, Young in D.C. and the race for governor
Also in the Political Roundup: City vs. county at Southwind High, a short history of going from the Senate to the governor’s mansion in Tennessee and Lee Harris on his successor and his next campaign.
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Opinion: Mayor Young on xAI — ‘I’m choosing Memphis, not fear, not politics’
Mayor Young says the xAI project “isn’t a debate between the environment and economics. It’s about putting people before politics. It’s about building something better for communities that have waited far too long for real investment.”
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‘We cannot put profit before people’: Coalition blasts xAI’s turbine plans
Local civic leaders continue to question how Elon Musk’s xAI program will benefit the community among worries that it will potentially harm residents and drain resources.
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May 2025
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Memphis mayor, council clash over ‘poor budgeting’
New budget proposal relies on rosy projections, cutting MATA funding in half and extending ongoing hiring freeze.
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Opinion: On xAI, ‘Memphians deserve honesty’
“Air pollution doesn’t know borders. It doesn’t stop at the state line. Running dozens of polluting turbines at this location would threaten air quality for families in South Memphis as well as those in Southaven.”
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What Elon Musk said about xAI’s second Memphis data center
Elon Musk confirmed in an X post how much electricity xAI’s second Memphis data center, Colossus 2, could use.
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Opinion: xAI can brighten the region’s future
“XAI is creating hundreds of jobs — from skilled trades to advanced technical roles — offering higher wages and economic stability. These jobs can lift families out of poverty, boost local businesses, fund improvements to our schools and infrastructure.”
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Here’s how much water xAI is using to cool its supercomputer
Progress on xAI’s water-recycling facility has slowed to a bureaucratic trickle, but construction could come like a flood in a matter of weeks.
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Decision on xAI’s air emissions permit will take time
Following a deluge of public comments, the Shelby County Health Department said a decision on xAI’s application for an air emissions permit will take approximately 60 days.
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Chamber: xAI does not plan to use turbines at Whitehaven site
Documents show artificial intelligence company xAI considered using dozens of natural-gas turbines to power the second data center. However, the Greater Memphis Chamber said the company is “is demobilizing turbines in Shelby County.”
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XAI partnership looking at Southaven natural gas plant
Earlier this month, MLGW said xAI could need more power than the Tennessee Valley Authority, the region’s energy provider, can supply.
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Elon Musk-founded xAI could purchase large order of transformers
Transformers are used to run power plants and data centers, like the xAI supercomputer in Memphis, and the demand for these facilities is increasing in the U.S.
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Memphians ‘shocked’ at verdicts for ex-cops charged in Tyre Nichols’ death
“I think you could hear a pin drop in the courtroom when the judge read out the verdict: ‘not guilty, not guilty, not guilty,’ seven times, not guilty for each officer,” Memphis journalist Katherine Burgess said.
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XAI removing some turbines in next two months
XAI has operated the turbines currently running without an air-emissions permit — using a temporary-use exemption that allows the machines to run for the first 364 days without a permit.
Related content:
XAI’s second data center could use enough electricity to power 40% of Memphis
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XAI’s second data center could use enough electricity to power 40% of Memphis
MLGW said that it has discussed xAI using up to 1.1 gigawatts of power at its Tulane Road data center. However, MLGW said that amount of power is not poised to be delivered soon and is not formally being studied.
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April 2025
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Community turns raucous against xAI at public hearing
Hundreds of people packed into Fairley High’s gymnasium in Whitehaven on Friday evening largely to vent their frustration about the artificial intelligence company’s use of natural gas turbines.
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Professor says xAI turbines don’t affect air quality if company’s claims are true
Chunrong Jia, a professor in the University of Memphis’ division of epidemiology, biostatistics and environmental health, modeled the impact of what xAI’s turbines would have on air quality in Southwest Memphis.
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Colossus: Can Memphis stop Elon Musk?
To many, xAI is just another chapter in what residents said they think is a legacy of industrial racism and pollution. The debate centers on one central question: Is Colossus worth the cost?
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Colossus: The race to build the world’s most powerful machine in Memphis
XAI’s first Memphis data center Colossus dwells in a former Electrolux plant in Southwest Memphis. It is arguably one of the most valuable machines in the world controlled by someone with unrivaled wealth and galactic ambitions.
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