U.S. xAI supercomputer gas turbine exceeds emissions limits

Tesla founder Elon Musk’s xAI plans to continue using gas turbines to power its Memphis-based “Colossus” supercomputer into the future. In January, xAI affiliate CTC Property applied for a permit from Shelby County, Tennessee, to operate 15 gas turbines, which would allow the combustion turbines to run from June 2025 through June 2030, according to the permit application. According to the permit application documents, the turbines emit 11.51 tons of controlled and uncontrolled hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) per year, which exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 10-ton per year limit for HAPs from a single source, and nearly 22,000 people live within five miles of the xAI facility.