"Hard to Breathe"... Residents Outraged Over Musk's Data Center

Dozens of Gas Turbines in Operation, Emitting Pollutants
Some Argue That the Anticipated Job Creation Effect Is Minimal

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, founded the artificial intelligence (AI) startup xAI, which is currently constructing and operating a large-scale data center in Tennessee, USA. Meanwhile, local residents are experiencing significant harm and backlash due to pollution emissions from the facility. On May 19 (local time), major U.S. media outlets such as CNN and NBC reported that residents of the southwestern Memphis area, where xAI's supercomputer data center is located, are protesting against the operation of the facility, claiming that air pollutants emitted from the site are making it "hard to breathe."

"Hard to Breathe"... Residents Outraged Over Musk's Data Center

Last year, Musk announced the construction of a data center on a 522-acre (2.11 million ㎡) site in this area and named the facility "Colossus," boasting it as "the world's most powerful artificial intelligence training system." However, because operating the supercomputers for AI training requires an enormous amount of electricity, xAI has installed dozens of gas turbines to generate its own power and meet its energy needs. The problem is that substances released when operating these gas turbines are worsening residents' health. The operation of the gas turbines emits large quantities of nitrogen oxides, which can cause asthma, as well as formaldehyde, a carcinogen, and ultrafine particles that can pass through the lungs and enter the bloodstream.

According to aerial photographs taken by a local environmental group in March, xAI installed 35 gas turbines in the area, and thermal images taken in April showed that 33 of these turbines were in operation. Sarah Gladney, a resident with a lung disease who lives 4.8 kilometers from the site, criticized the xAI facility, saying, "Our health and the safety of our community were not considered at all."

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, founded the artificial intelligence (AI) startup xAI, which is constructing and operating a large-scale data center in Tennessee, USA. Meanwhile, local residents are strongly opposing and complaining about pollution emissions caused by the facility. Reuters·Yonhap News

Environmental groups have criticized xAI for operating its gas turbines without obtaining a formal air pollutant emission permit. They also pointed out that authorities are exploiting a legal loophole that allows temporary turbines operating for less than a year to run without permits. Local residents and environmental activists said they will continue to fight to prevent further expansion of the xAI facility, stating, "We have the right to breathe clean air." CNN projected that, as the Donald Trump administration and major U.S. technology companies seek to accelerate the growth of the AI industry, similar conflicts could arise in other regions where large-scale data centers are established in the future.

Meanwhile, Paul Young, the mayor of Memphis, who actively supported attracting the xAI facility to the region, recently announced that xAI has dismantled 12 gas turbines and plans to remove the rest in the future. Mayor Paul Young emphasized that the xAI facility would bring benefits such as hundreds of high-paying jobs and an increase in tax revenue of about $30 million (approximately 41.7 billion KRW). However, some believe that the actual job creation effect will be minimal. Justin Pearson, a Democratic state representative from the area, pointed out, "Data centers generally do not require many workers," and added, "Most of the jobs provided to local residents will be limited to cleaning or some security positions." Furthermore, as the specific schedule for the removal of the gas turbines remains unclear, the controversy is expected to continue.