xAI data center gets air permit to run 15 turbines, but imaging shows 24 on site

A satellite image of xAI's Memphis data center showed 24 turbines on July 1, the Southern Environmental Law Center reported. Credit: Satellite image via the Southern Environmental Law Center

After months of backlash over alleged pollution concerns, xAI has finally secured an air permit covering some of the methane gas turbines powering its Colossus supercomputer data center in Memphis, Tennessee.

On Wednesday, the Shelby County Health Department granted xAI an air permit that allows it to power 15 gas turbines while adhering to a range of restrictions designed to minimize emissions. Expiring on January 2, 2027, the permit requires xAI to install and operate the best available control technology (BACT) by September 1 to ensure emissions do not exceed certain limits.

Any failure to comply could trigger enforcement actions by the Environmental Protection Agency or the county health department, the permit notes.

But Memphis residents insist that the health ...