Emergency action against the Colossus facility in South Memphis is at the center of a demand from the NAACP, which is calling for its operations to be immediately suspended, and as recently reported by emergency shutdown call for Musk supercomputer the organization sent a letter on Thursday to both the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water urging them to intervene, citing concerns about significant pollution coming from the site.
Colossus is run by xAI, a company helmed by Elon Musk, and has drawn sharp scrutiny for its reliance on a series of gas turbines to power its so-called supercomputer operations. According to the NAACP, the facility has been operating far more turbines than it is permitted to use—fifteen turbines on a permit application, but at least thirty-five actually in use for the past year. Officials previously stated that xAI could use the turbines without permits for the first year, which the NAACP says has resulted in the company skirting clean air regulations.
At the root of the controversy are emissions the NAACP says are hazardous, with formaldehyde and nitrogen oxides released in quantities that surpass legal limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The concern is intensified by the fact that Colossus sits close to Boxtown, a historically Black neighborhood already burdened by disproportionate environmental health risks.
Community Health at Stake Near Colossus
In its letter, the NAACP accuses local agencies of overlooking the health crisis facing area residents, highlighting cancer rates that soar well beyond the national average. The organization says rather than moving to address Boxtown’s existing health problems, authorities have permitted further pollution by letting xAI continue without complying with the rules.
The NAACP’s message was sent directly to Michelle Taylor, who currently directs the Shelby County Health Department but is preparing to take up a new role in Baltimore’s health department. Commissioners leading Memphis Light Gas and Water were also addressed in the letter, which strongly criticized their response, labelling it as inadequate.
For the people living near Colossus, frustration has been simmering for months. The letter from the NAACP suggests that these families are once again being forced to bear the brunt of industrial activity they neither request nor benefit from.
When asked about the letter, Memphis Light Gas and Water indicated they had not yet received official correspondence from the NAACP. Both xAI and the Shelby County Health Department are now facing intensifying public scrutiny, as community groups and advocacy organizations demand swift action to bring the facility into compliance, while issues related to ai data centers power challenges continue to ignite debate in the broader tech landscape.
The last year has seen environmental tensions escalate in South Memphis, where residents have become increasingly vocal about what they see as a pattern of neglect from both city leaders and major corporations operating in the area. As the fate of Colossus comes under debate, the community watches to see whether regulators will intervene or if the turbines will continue to churn.
