When Elon Musk’s Data Center Came to Town
From Lawless Planet by Audible
March 9, 2026 · 43 min · Episode 35
About this episode
The episode discusses the impact of Elon Musk's data center in South Memphis on the local community and environment.
When Elon Musk’s xAI opened a data center called Colossus in South Memphis for its chatbot, Grok, local politicians and business leaders hailed it as the first step towards turning Greater Memphis into “America’s Digital Delta.” But residents soon noticed they were getting sick – and blamed the data center’s methane gas turbines, installed without permits to support the center’s massive electricity needs. Now South Memphis has become a flashpoint in the growing debate over the human and environmental costs of powering AI. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. Featured in this episode: KeShaun Pearson Sources: Reporting by the Memphis Commercial Appeal Time’s “We Are the Last of the Forgotten: Inside the Memphis Community Battling Elon Musk’s xAI” https://time.com/7308925/elon-musk-memphis-ai-data-center/ The Wall Street Journal’s “Elon Musk Gambles Billions in Memphis to Catch Up on AI” https://www.wsj.com/tech/elon-musk-xai-memphis-tennessee-power-dec4c70d The Natural Resources Defense Council’s “The AI Boom Is Stressing the Grid—But It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way”…
People in this episode
Guest: KeShaun Pearson
Topics covered
- data centers
- AI
- environmental impact
- local community
- health concerns
- Elon Musk
Keywords
- Elon Musk
- data center
- Grok
- methane gas turbines
- South Memphis
- AI debate
- environmental costs
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: xAI, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Time, The Wall Street Journal, Natural Resources Defense Council
Places: South Memphis, Greater Memphis
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