shows xAI lied about supercomputer pollution, group says…
“Now, xAI is facing calls to shut down gas turbines that power the supercomputer, as Memphis residents in historically Black communities—which have long suffered from industrial pollution causing poor air quality and decreasing life expectancy—allege that xAI has been secretly running more turbines than the local government knows, without permits.
Alleging that the unregulated turbines “likely make xAI the largest emitter of smog-forming” pollution, they’ve joined the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) in urging the Shelby County Health Department to deny all of xAI’s air permit applications due to “the stunning lack of information and transparency.”
One resident, KeShaun Pearson, president of the local nonprofit Memphis Community Against Pollution, accused xAI of “perpetuating environmental racism” on the news show Democracy Now. He’s contended that xAI considers Memphis residents “not even valuable enough to have a conversation with,” Time reported.
Perhaps even more disturbing to Memphis residents than the alleged lack of transparency was the mysterious appearance of fliers distributed by an anonymous group called “Facts Over Fiction,” The Guardian reported. Papering Black neighborhoods, the fliers apparently downplayed xAI’s pollution, claiming that “xAI has low emissions.”
The SELC told Ars that the fliers came just as the legal group obtained thermal imaging that appears to catch xAI in a potential lie. After earlier images revealed that xAI has at least 35 turbines on site—despite its pending application only seeking permits for 15—Memphis mayor Paul Young claimed that xAI had said it was only using 15.
Investigating, the SELC teamed up with SouthWings to capture aerial thermal imaging. And that showed “33 turbines giving off significant amounts of heat, meaning they were currently running at the time of the photo,” SELC said.
“The new images clearly show that more than 30 of xAI’s methane gas turbines are operating, debunking recent claims that the company was merely storing—and not running—more than half of the turbines outside of its data center,” the SELC alleged.
SELC Senior Attorney Amanda Garcia has suggested that these images back up residents’ fears that xAI may be relying on non-disclosure agreements with the local government to run its facilities however it wants. Her group noted that Tennessee officials and residents should be aware that “Musk’s SpaceX and Boring Company have been fined thousands of dollars for violating environmental regulations in Texas.”
“It is appalling that xAI would operate more than 30 methane gas turbines without any permits or any public oversight,” Garcia said. “Without appropriate controls, gas turbines can release harmful pollution that is tied to asthma, respiratory illnesses, and certain types of cancers. xAI’s failure to disclose that it’s running dozens of these polluting turbines at its South Memphis data center has left Memphians in the dark about what is being pumped into the air they breathe every day.””
