What a year’s worth of xAI power bills tell us
Gas turbines are seen at the xAI facility, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, in Memphis. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)
When xAI’s first Memphis data center was unveiled to the public, projections had the facility consuming more than 1 million gallons of water per day.
In its nearly two years of existence, the Colossus data center — while still a major water consumer — has never come close to that level of consumption, according to copies of xAI’s Memphis Light, Gas and Water bills.
A review of xAI’s available 2025 bills showed that Colossus had a peak water usage of about 381,000 gallons a day from Aug. 3 to Sept. 4, 2025.
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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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