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Colossus: Can Memphis stop Elon Musk?

By , Daily Memphian Updated: April 25, 2025 5:42 AM CT | Published: April 23, 2025 4:00 AM CT

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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Subscriber Only xAI Tennessee Valley Authority Memphis Mayor Paul Young Justin J. Pearson

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Samuel Hardiman

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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