Members of the Memphis community have continuously voiced their opposition to Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer project, and the approval of a land deal along with recent news of the city’s investment into the Colossus Water Recycle Plant have amplified public dissent.
When the xAI deal was announced, community leaders and advocates openly opposed the project due to its negative environmental impact and disproportionate effect on minority communities.
Groups such as the Southern Environmental Law Center; Young, Gifted & Green; and Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) have written letters openly opposing the project, and these concerns have only grown louder.
Today, Mayor Young posted on Facebook that city council approved land acquisition for the future Colossus Water Recycle Plant, an $80 million “investment in green infrastructure to protect our aquifer and safeguard our water for the long term.”
“This is a big win for our entire community,” Young said.
According to the group Protect Our Aquifer, the Colossus Water Recycle Plant will be used to “reduce aquifer usage” of the Colossus supercomputer and “other nearby industries.” The plant will be placed in Southwest Memphis at the former Electrolux facility.
The mayor went on to say that environmental concerns were a “top priority” from the beginning, and that when the electrical grid is experiencing high demand, xAI will move to “100 percent battery power.”
“We have an opportunity to position Memphis as a leader in AI and technology, but we have to do it responsibly,” Young said. “Together, we’re charting a path towards a sustainable future that protects our aquifer and ensures this investment benefits all Memphians for generations to come.”
While the mayor’s post seemed to address the looming environmental concerns, citizens are still not satisfied with the city’s decision.
“This is a very bad business decision,” a Facebook user by the name Richard Faulkner said. “This was blatant disrespect to all Black people in this city.”
Local drag performer and community activist Moth Moth Moth (aka Mothie) is encouraging people to write to Mayor Young regarding “urgent concerns” on the project through an email campaign. Mothie has provided an email prompt on their social media account.
“We stand at a critical apex of our city’s history, ” Mothie said. “As the world changes all around us, let’s future-proof Memphis against authoritarianism and environmental ruin. The people of Memphis are bigger and more powerful than a lame computer will ever be. Invest instead with the incredible people of Memphis and you will see this city blossom.”
These comments come a week after the Memphis City Council approved an $820K land deal for the xAI facility, which is projected to use over 10 million gallons of wastewater a day.
Over the weekend, The Tennessee Holler posted a video of last Tuesday’s council meeting showing the discussion between xAI representative Brent Mayo, who was joined by Mayor Paul Young during the presentation.
The video shows Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton saying that she wanted more transparency for the citizens of the city.
“We want to do good business with people,” Cooper-Sutton said. “Your boss doesn’t do good business.”
Councilman JB Smiley Jr. immediately intervened, advising Cooper-Sutton to stop and saying he would mute her microphone — which he eventually did. He said his reasoning was because the council’s rules of decorum do not allow “personal attacks from members of [the] body.”
“We have a situation here,” Councilwoman Pearl Eva Walker said. “I say this kindly and respectfully, but there is a lot of pushback in the community. Nobody says to us as a body how we should address that or handle that.”
The video, which was reposted by Memphis social media account @unapollogeticallyMemphis, allowed space for more users to echo these sentiments in the comments.
“Memphians, DO NOT TRUST ELON MUSHHEAD,” a user by the name @Randy.booktravel commented. “I do not remember any public information provided for this project he all of a sudden decided to put here.”