ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

xAI to buy $2.8B more turbines amid lawsuit over pollution

other · 2026-05-13

So, SpaceX just shared its IPO filing on Wednesday, revealing that Elon Musk's xAI intends to spend an extra $2.8 billion on turbines for its AI setup over the next three years. Out of this, $2 billion is earmarked for mobile gas turbines, which has triggered a lawsuit from the NAACP. They sued xAI last month for running multiple unregulated gas turbines at its data center near Memphis, Tennessee, worsening air pollution in the area. The NAACP is pushing for an injunction against these turbines. xAI has permits for 15 turbines but has been operating 46 recently, each emitting over 2,000 tons of NOx annually. They claim they can operate these turbines for a year without permits due to their mobile nature, exploiting a regulatory loophole.

Key facts

  • xAI to buy $2.8B more turbines over three years
  • $2B specifically for mobile gas turbines
  • NAACP filed lawsuit last month over unregulated turbines
  • xAI has permits for 15 turbines but used 46
  • Each turbine can emit over 2,000 tons of NOx annually
  • xAI claims turbines are mobile and exempt from permits
  • EPA ruled xAI violated federal law earlier this year
  • SpaceX IPO filing acknowledges reliance on gas turbines

Entities

Institutions

  • xAI
  • SpaceX
  • NAACP
  • EPA
  • Southern Environmental Law Center
  • Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce
  • WIRED

Locations

  • Memphis
  • Tennessee
  • United States
  • Mississippi
  • Greater Memphis
  • Colossus 2

Sources