xAI is moving to add solar power beside its Colossus data center in Memphis, but the plan arrives in the middle of a larger fight over how the AI facility is being powered today.
The artificial intelligence startup, founded by Elon Musk, told city and county planners in Memphis last week that it plans to build a solar farm next to Colossus, one of the world’s largest facilities for training AI models. The proposed project would sit on land directly around the data center, adding a visible clean energy component to a site that has drawn intense scrutiny over gas-fired power generation.
What xAI wants to build beside Colossus
The planned solar farm would cover 88 acres to the west and to the south of the Colossus data center. The site also borders a 136-acre vacant lot owned by the developer that also owns the Colossus property.
Based on the proposed size, the solar farm would likely produce around 30 megawatts of electricity. That is meaningful generation, but it would still represent only about 10% of the data center’s estimated power use.
That gap is central to the broader story. AI data centers need large, steady supplies of electricity, especially when they are used to train models. A nearby solar farm can reduce some pressure on the grid or other power sources, but the source article makes clear that this particular project would cover only a fraction of Colossus’ expected demand.
Why the solar plan does not end the power dispute
xAI has come under fire for operating over 400 megawatts of natural gas turbines without permits, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). The legal organization, which is working with the NAACP, says xAI has operated at least 35 turbines capable of emitting more than 2,000 tons of NOX pollution annually.
NOX pollution, described in the source as nitrogen oxide emissions, contributes to smog and respiratory problems. That makes the turbines more than an infrastructure issue for nearby residents; they are also a public health concern.
The company has said it intends to use the turbines until it can secure additional power. Local officials gave xAI a permit to operate 15 turbines through January 2027.
The contrast is sharp: xAI is presenting new solar capacity next to the data center, while critics are focused on the gas turbines that have already been used to supply power. The solar project may become part of the long-term energy mix, but it does not, by itself, answer questions about current turbine operations or pollution exposure.
Boxtown remains at the center of the backlash
The turbines have triggered fierce opposition from residents in nearby Boxtown, a predominantly Black community. Researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, found that peak nitrogen dioxide concentration levels increased by 79% in areas immediately surrounding the data center after xAI began operations.
Community activists have reported increased asthma attacks and respiratory issues since the facility opened. Those reports, combined with the researchers’ finding, have made the Colossus power buildout a local environmental justice issue as well as a technology infrastructure story.
For residents, the question is not only whether xAI will add renewable power in the future. It is also how the company powers its operations now, what emissions are being tracked, and how nearby neighborhoods are affected while additional electricity sources are being secured.
A second solar project is already in the picture
The 88-acre solar proposal is not the only clean energy project tied to xAI’s Memphis-area operations. In September, xAI said it would build a 100-megawatt solar farm nearby, paired with 100 megawatts of grid-scale batteries to provide a 24/7 source of electricity.
The company has not disclosed the total cost of that project. The solar farm’s developer, Seven States Power Corporation, was awarded $439 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including $414 million as an interest-free loan.
That federal award stands out because many clean energy grants and loans have been canceled by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy under the Trump administration.
Taken together, the two solar efforts point to a larger shift in how xAI may try to support Colossus with cleaner power over time. But the numbers in the source show the scale challenge clearly: a solar project likely producing around 30 megawatts would still be small relative to the data center’s estimated power use, and even larger clean energy plans must be viewed alongside the company’s continued use of gas turbines.
The power buildout is expanding beyond Memphis
xAI has also added gas turbines in Mississippi to power its Colossus 2 data center. So far, 59 of them are on-site, and the company considers 18 of them temporary, meaning that regulators do not track their pollution.
That detail widens the issue beyond a single solar farm beside Colossus. xAI is building out major AI infrastructure while using multiple power strategies, including solar, batteries, and natural gas turbines.
The company’s solar plans may help address part of the electricity demand. But the debate around Colossus is likely to remain focused on the full energy footprint: how much power the data centers require, how much comes from fossil-fuel turbines, what pollution is monitored, and what nearby communities experience as the facilities operate.