As politicians debate the safety of Elon Musk's xAI Colossus supercomputer, built to power and train the AI chatbot Grok, the Southern Environmental Law Center has filed a letter on behalf of the NAACP signaling its intent to sue over the company's use of methane gas turbines.
What's happening?
As Teslarati detailed, politicians and advocacy groups are on high alert over pollution linked to Colossus in South Memphis, Tennessee.
The NAACP alleges in the letter, filed June 17, that the Tesla CEO and xAI founder greenlit the installation of the highly polluting gas turbines to power the data center without obtaining the appropriate permits or implementing pollution controls.
Why is this important?
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America listed Memphis as a top-20 "asthma capital" in the United States in 2024. Critics of xAI's gas-powered supercomputer say that the company's operations could exacerbate the situation, potentially leading to more hospitalizations.
State Rep. Justin J. Pearson, who lives three miles from the xAI data center, is among those pushing back against xAI's operations in South Memphis, writing for MSNBC that the lawsuit is "about justice, transparency and our human right to breathe clean air."
Activists also raised concerns about xAI's wastewater facility at a virtual meeting of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
While Musk has pointed to xAI's positive impact on the local economy since his company pays millions of dollars in taxes and has created hundreds of jobs, as PBS reported, Pamela Moses is one community advocate who disagreed with that assessment when speaking at the virtual event.
"They are not coming here to uplift or invest in our community. They are here to exploit it. This is a distressed and a historically neglected area, and instead of bringing opportunity, [Colossus] is bringing pollution … secrecy and broken promises," she said, per Teslarati.
What's being done about this?
Musk is widely lauded for helping to usher in an era of cleaner, more cost-effective transportation with Tesla's zero-tailpipe-emission electric vehicles and for his investments in clean energy, including his 100% renewable-energy-powered Supercharger network.
However, as speculation abounds that Tesla could merge with xAI, critics fear Musk's focus on artificial intelligence as a key component of Tesla's future could offset those positive gains.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
Do you worry about air pollution in your town? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
All the time 💯 Last month, Musk confirmed on the social media platform X that Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus, already uses xAI's Grok voice assistant. He has also said that consumers can expect to see Grok in Tesla's EVs in the near future, per Teslarati.
For his part, Musk indicated that xAI would equip the supercomputer with emissions-reducing technology, according to PBS. Yet there was no information about a timeline for that outfitting or whether the company has plans to transition the data center to clean energy.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
