Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence (AI) company, xAI, is expanding to a third location in the Memphis Area, as Mayor Darren Musselwhite of Southaven, Mississippi, confirmed on Friday that the company purchased a defunct natural gas power plant to provide energy to the Colossus supercomputer, which powers Grok, the company’s AI chatbot.
The company broke ground on its Memphis operations last year, when it said it would build the world’s largest supercomputer, and later acquired a second facility to expand its operations.
Southaven is located about 15 minutes from the current xAI facilities, and according to Musselwhite, the third location acquired by xAI is the former Duke Energy natural gas power plant, which will be used to provide more energy to the xAI supercomputer.
“After acquiring their second facility just north of the Mississippi state line, property in Southaven’s industrial zone became ideal for further expansion,” wrote Musselwhite (pictured above) in a post to social media. “The former Duke Energy facility will become functional again after decades of vacancy to meet the electricity demands of these artificial intelligence operations.”
The mayor said xAI’s operations in Tennessee and Mississippi are “coveted worldwide.” He predicted “the entire region will feel the major financial benefits, career opportunities and community enhancement both by xAI’s direct operations and ensuing economic growth spurred by them.”
He also addressed concerns about air pollution, as activists in Memphis have claimed xAI is having an outsized impact on the local air quality, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has threatened to sue.
“xAI has proven their commitment to being an outstanding corporate citizen in this regard,” wrote Musselwhite, adding that concern for the environment, “is at the forefront of this commitment as they go beyond required emission control requirements,” using equipment that makes its facilities “the lowest emitting facilities in the United States.”
The announcement follows the recent approval by the Shelby County Health Department for xAI to install 15 permanent gas turbines in Memphis, despite the disapproval of Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) and his brother, KeShawn Pearson, who leads the activist organization, Memphis Community Against Pollution.
It also follows the decision by the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education to accept xAI’s offer to upgrade four of the district’s high schools, which will now receive upgrades to classrooms and athletic facilities, as well as “chemistry and technology labs,” paid for by the company.
Another of Musk’s companies is busy elsewhere in Tennessee, as the Boring Company is hiring local workers to build the Music City Loop in Nashville, and recently received a lease to begin boring a tunnel in the city’s downtown.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mayor Darren Musselwhite” by Mayor Musselwhite.Background Photo “Southaven City Hall” by Trev0B. CC BY-SA 4.0.
