A massive data center at xAI’s controversial site in Memphis, Tennessee is emitting huge plumes of pollution, according to footage recorded by an environmental watchdog group.
A massive data center at xAI’s controversial site in Memphis, Tennessee is emitting huge plumes of pollution, according to footage recorded by an environmental watchdog group.
It really does just look like heat dissipation from rooftop heat exchangers, not gasses out of an exhaust. I’m sure that building uses (and wastes) an ungodly amount of power, but I’d imagine it’s grid-tied, and therefore any noxious gases are being generated elsewhere (with the exception of on-site backup generators).
I’m all for telling AI to fuck off, but let’s at least have the facts straight.
They do actually burn gas locally, I wasn’t trying to dispute that part. It has become a political discussion in Memphis. Apparently they wanted to start operations on turbines before the grid access was ready.
I don’t know if they got the substation built, but last year they weren’t able to get enough power from the grid, so installed 14 generators (at 2.5mw each) to cover their needs
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/elon-musks-xai-data-center-adding-to-memphis-air-quality-problems-campaign-group/