Elon Musk’s xAI, the artificial intelligence startup trying to take on OpenAI, is facing scrutiny in Memphis, Tennessee, for alleged environmental violations at its data center.
In a letter sent to the Shelby County Health Department on April 9, the Southern Environmental Law Center said aerial imagery and other data showed that xAI has installed “a whopping 35 gas turbines,” at its facility, sometimes referred to as the Colossus. The company only applied for permits for 15 turbines to power the data center temporarily, the letter said.
Musk founded xAI in 2023 and has made the company the centerpiece of his AI ambitions as he engages in a high-profile business and legal battle with OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab. Its flagship Grok chatbot is designed to take on ChatGPT.
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