In Memphis, Residents Fear Elon Musk’s Supercomputer Is Making Them Ill
By Ariel Wittenberg | Memphis, Tennessee
South Memphis residents are sounding the alarm over a new artificial intelligence facility operated by Elon Musk’s xAI, claiming that the company’s massive data center is making them sick. The facility, which powers Musk’s AI chatbot Grok, relies on dozens of methane gas turbines to meet its enormous energy demands. But these turbines, which are running without required pollution controls or Clean Air Act permits, are pumping out smog-forming chemicals and hazardous pollutants into an already overburdened community.
“How come I can’t breathe?” asked one resident at a recent public hearing, holding up her inhaler as proof of worsening health. The question echoes across South Memphis, where emergency department visits for asthma are already the highest in Tennessee. Community members say they are paying for Musk’s technological ambitions with their health.
Environmental groups and legal advocates have calculated that xAI’s turbines—enough to power 280,000 homes—have made the company one of Shelby County’s largest emitters of nitrogen oxides (NOx), a key ingredient in smog. The turbines also release formaldehyde and other hazardous chemicals linked to respiratory diseases, heart problems, and certain cancers. The facility is located in Boxtown, a neighborhood already facing a cancer risk four times the national average due to decades of industrial pollution.
“We’re being treated like a sacrifice zone,” said KeShaun Pearson, executive director of Memphis Community Against Pollution. “Both my grandmothers died of cancer in their 60s, and I blame pollution for their deaths.”
The Southern Environmental Law Center, representing the NAACP, has sent a 60-day notice of intent to sue xAI for violating federal law by operating unpermitted turbines. The letter warns that the company’s actions are not only illegal but also endangering the health of a community already struggling with poor air quality. The Memphis metro area has received an “F” for ozone pollution from the American Lung Association for the past four years, and air monitoring data shows the problem is getting worse.
xAI began operations in June 2024, installing at least 18 turbines—though residents and environmental groups report seeing as many as 35. Satellite and thermal imaging confirm that most of the turbines are running, and recent images show the company has replaced some smaller units with larger ones. Despite requests from regulators and community groups, xAI has not applied for the necessary air pollution permits, nor has it committed to turning off the turbines even after securing power from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
“Every day those turbines are operating, they are polluting the air and doing significant harm to families in South Memphis,” said Amanda Garcia, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “The EPA is now investigating whether xAI’s unpermitted turbines violate the Clean Air Act.”
Residents say the facility was built with little public input or transparency. Even Memphis City Council members were surprised by the announcement, and the data center began operations just weeks later. Many community members feel left in the dark, with no say in a project that is directly impacting their health and environment.
At a public hearing at Fairley High School, residents described cases of asthma, cancer, and other health conditions they attribute to air pollution. Some brought inhalers and portable oxygen tanks as evidence of their suffering. The Shelby County Department of Health has been urged to deny xAI’s permit and shut down the turbines, but so far, no action has been taken.
While Musk and xAI tout the economic benefits of the facility, South Memphis residents remain skeptical. They say the promise of jobs and growth is not worth the cost of their health and well-being. “We’re not against progress,” said one resident. “But not at the expense of our lives.”
As the legal and regulatory battles continue, the people of South Memphis are left wondering how much more pollution they will have to endure—and how much longer they will have to fight for clean air and a healthy future.