NAACP Demands Memphis Shut Down xAI's 'Dirty' Data Center Facility

The NAACP is urging local officials to suspend operations at Colossus, the "supercomputer" facility which Elon Musk's xAI operates in South Memphis.

According to NBC News, leaders from the civil rights organization sent a letter to the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water on Thursday, criticizing their "lax oversight of this polluting data center" and demanding they "issue an emergency order for xAI to cease all operations immediately" — or, at minimum, penalize the company for reportedly violating clean air regulations if no formal order is issued.

The letter highlighted specific concerns about the gas turbines powering Colossus. xAI has applied for a permit to run 15 turbines at the facility, yet the NAACP alleges authorities have "allowed xAI to operate at least 35 gas turbines without any permits" over the past year. City officials previously stated that xAI did not require permits for the turbines during their initial year of use.

These turbines are reported to release hazardous air pollutants like formaldehyde at levels exceeding EPA standards. The NAACP's letter also cited nitrogen oxide emissions from the turbines.

Observing that the Colossus site is adjacent to South Memphis' Boxtown neighborhood, described in the letter as a "historically Black community," the NAACP stated the location continues "the pattern of industries increasing pollution in communities that bear no responsibility for the problem."

"Rather than working to alleviate known health issues in the area—where cancer risks are already four times the national average—the Shelby County Health Department has permitted xAI to operate above the law," the NAACP further remarked.

The NAACP's letter is directed to Shelby County Health Department Director Michelle Taylor, as well as the commissioners of Memphis Light Gas and Water; Taylor is departing her position in Shelby County to become the commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department.

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TechCrunch has contacted the NAACP and xAI for comment. A Memphis Light Gas and Water spokesperson told NBC News that the organization had not yet received the NAACP's letter.