eWEEK content material and product suggestions are editorially unbiased. We might earn cash if you click on on hyperlinks to our companions. Learn More.
Citing violations of native environmental codes, the NAACP has referred to as on authorities in South Memphis, Tennessee to halt operations at Elon Musk’s xAI knowledge heart, which operates the supercomputer Colossus.
In a letter to the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water (MLGW), the civil rights group expressed concern over xAI’s dealing with of the power. The group criticized the corporate for its alleged lack of due diligence in working the power, describing it as a “dirty data center.”
Emissions from fuel generators
Specifically, the letter highlighted not having the required permits to function 35 fuel generators that energy Colossus. The generators are stated to emit important quantities of nitrogen oxide, with emissions estimated to vary from 1,200 to 2,000 tons yearly, based on the NAACP’s letter.
Local officers, together with the mayor of South Memphis and members of the Chamber of Commerce, have maintained that allows weren’t mandatory in the course of the generators’ preliminary operational 12 months.
The letter additionally identified that residents have been largely uniformed in regards to the facility’s operations, including that those that reached out for assist from numerous public businesses and officers have seen little motion.
Penalties requested
The NAACP has urged authorities to halt the operation of unpermitted generators, which they argue violate air high quality and open assembly legal guidelines. Furthermore, the group has referred to as for penalties to be imposed on xAI for failing to adjust to these laws.
Neither the Shelby County Health Department nor xAI has responded to the letter’s allegations, based on NBC News. However, xAI has beforehand said that it collaborates with native, state, and federal officers, in addition to neighborhood leaders, to deal with points impacting Memphis.
The civil rights group has underscored that, regardless of Musk’s wealth, his facility shouldn’t be allowed to hurt the well being communities. “Being the world’s richest man doesn’t give you the right to pollute Black communities and jeopardize the health of its residents,” the letter emphasised.
Musk selected to construct his first Southwest Memphis knowledge heart close to Boxtown, a traditionally Black neighborhood positioned roughly two miles away, based on the NAACP’s letter.
Colossus, which xAI claims is the most important supercomputer on the planet, was launched in September 2024 with the purpose of coaching the corporate’s Grok chatbot.
