xAI’s controversial data center power strategy may get a Justice Department assist. (NYT)
For context: The NAACP is suing Elon Musk’s xAI over 27 gas turbines allegedly operating without an air permit at its Colossus 2 data center in Mississippi. The group claims this amounts to an illegal power plant…which could emit 1,700 tons of smog-forming pollution annually near a predominantly Black community.
xAI’s defense: The turbines are mobile and temporary, so they’re exempt from tougher air permitting rules. Currently, Colossus 2 may be running nearly 50 of these mobile turbines.
The twist: The DOJ signaled it may intervene in support of xAI, citing the Trump administration’s policy to “sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance.”