Home / Environment / EPA Rules Against Musk's xAI on Pollution
EPA Rules Against Musk's xAI on Pollution
16 Jan
Summary
- US regulator ruled xAI illegally used gas turbines for data centers.
- Activists in Memphis fought xAI's data center pollution for months.
- The EPA revised policies, requiring permits for temporary gas turbines.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ruled that Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, illegally operated dozens of methane gas turbines at its "Colossus" data centers in Tennessee without necessary air quality permits. This ruling comes after a year and a half of advocacy from Memphis community activists who argued the generators were adding significant pollution to their neighborhoods.
The EPA's decision establishes that portable or temporary gas turbines, like those used by xAI, now require air permits, revising previous interpretations of county loopholes. Activists, including the NAACP, had sued xAI, highlighting the harmful nitrogen oxide emissions and their health impacts on nearby communities. This marks a victory for environmental justice advocates battling industrial pollution.
xAI uses these turbines to power its massive supercomputers, including the Colossus 1 facility, which requires 150 megawatts of electricity. The company also operates Colossus 2 in Southaven, Mississippi, which also utilizes unpermitted generators. The EPA's updated policy aims to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 296 tons annually by 2032.
