Elon Musk's xAI is building an 88-acre solar farm next to its massive Memphis data center, a move that comes as the company faces mounting criticism for operating hundreds of megawatts of unpermitted gas turbines. The project would generate about 30 megawatts - roughly 10% of the Colossus facility's power needs - while the company battles legal challenges over air quality violations in nearby communities.
xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence venture, just told Memphis city planners it's moving forward with an 88-acre solar farm right next to its Colossus data center. The timing isn't coincidental - the company's been under intense fire for running over 400 megawatts of natural gas turbines without the proper permits, sparking a legal battle that's put the spotlight on AI's environmental cost.
The solar project would sit on land west and south of the existing facility, occupying part of a 136-acre vacant lot that's owned by the same developer behind the Colossus property. Based on typical solar farm output, the installation would likely generate around 30 megawatts of electricity. That sounds substantial until you realize it covers just 10% of what the data center actually consumes for training AI models.
The bigger story here is the mounting pressure xAI faces from environmental groups and local communities. The Southern Environmental Law Center, working alongside the NAACP, has been hammering the company for operating at least 35 turbines that pump out more than 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxide pollution annually. These aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet - they're affecting real people in Boxtown, a predominantly Black community adjacent to the facility.
Researchers from the University of Tennessee found that nitrogen dioxide concentration levels spiked 79% in areas immediately surrounding the data center after xAI fired up operations. Community activists are reporting increased asthma attacks and respiratory problems since the facility opened. "We've been preparing for this shift since Q2," one local health advocate told Time magazine in a recent investigation into the facility's impact.
The company insists it plans to phase out the turbines once it secures additional power from the grid, but local officials have already granted permits for 15 turbines to operate through January 2027. That's created a regulatory maze where some turbines have permits while others don't, making it difficult for environmental groups to track the full scope of emissions.
This Memphis solar announcement isn't xAI's first green energy play. Back in September, the company committed to a much larger 100-megawatt solar farm nearby, paired with 100 megawatts of grid-scale batteries to provide round-the-clock power. Seven States Power Company, the developer handling that project, secured a massive $439 million award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture - with $414 million coming as an interest-free loan.
