The xAI gigafactory could be ready this summer or fall
Elon Musk’s xAI will build the world’s largest supercomputer in Memphis, and it could be up and running as soon as this summer. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP file)
The xAI “gigafactory of compute” being built in Memphis could be ready eight to 12 months earlier than expected, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Last week, the Greater Memphis Chamber announced that Elon Musk-founded xAI would build the world’s largest supercomputer in Memphis, bringing billions of dollars in investment to the city.
The supercomputer is intended to power and do computations for Grok, the chatbot run by xAI’s artificial intelligence. The Information, a business publication, reported on May 26 that the supercomputer would be ready by August 2025.
But a source familiar with the matter told The Daily Memphian that the supercomputer could start running eight to 12 months earlier than expected, making an August 2024 start possible.
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Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise and investigative reporter who focuses on local government and politics. He began his journalism career at the Tulsa World in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he covered business and, later, 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 Memphis Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on Elon Musk’s xAI, regional energy needs and how Memphis and Shelby County government spend taxpayer dollars.
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