Tennessee

Metro Council is scheduled for a final vote Tuesday on Mayor Freddie O'Connell's proposal to use eminent domain to acquire a property where DC Blox plans to build a data center adjacent to the Nashville Zoo. The company closed a $23 million purchase of the site and applied for a building permit despite Metro's legislative efforts to stop the project.

Axios · Davidson Co., TN

Headline onlyThe Tennessean · Tennessee · also at tennessean.com

SpaceX said it will replace portable gas turbines powering its data centers near Memphis, Tennessee, with a natural gas power plant by July 2027, after facing criticism over unpermitted emissions. The company currently operates 69 portable turbines that locals and environmental groups say emit harmful pollutants and have been linked to respiratory problems.

Futurism · Shelby Co., TN

Headline onlyThe Tennessean · Sumner Co., TN

Country music legend Willie Nelson opposes data centers coming to his hometown of Abbott, Texas, calling them "loud, water-thieving, light-polluting" threats to rural communities and farmland. Fellow musician Brad Paisley has similarly opposed a proposed data center near Nashville's zoo, citing environmental and aesthetic concerns.

WSMV · Tennessee

Headline onlyrocketcitynow.com · Tennessee

Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson has become a prominent voice opposing data centers in his Memphis neighborhood, including xAI's Colossus facilities. Environmental groups estimate the turbines powering the data centers could emit more than 2,500 tons of smog-forming pollution annually into an area already leading Tennessee in asthma-related emergency room visits.

Politico · Shelby Co., TN

SpaceX has agreed to remove 69 temporary gas turbines at its Southaven, Mississippi power facility supporting the Colossus AI data center complex by July 2027, beginning as early as August as a permanent 1.2-gigawatt natural-gas power plant comes online.

Gizmodo · Shelby Co., TN

A mechanical contractor says SpaceXAI owes his Ohio-based company more than $136 million for work performed at Memphis-area data centers since 2024. Multiple contractors have filed liens against SpaceXAI for unpaid construction work, with additional liens expected to be filed in Mississippi.

Action News 5 · Shelby Co., TN

Tennessee enacted a law requiring data centers with power demands of at least 50 megawatts to pay for grid upgrades, but a carveout allows on-site gas-powered generation without state or local review, raising environmental and noise concerns for nearby communities.

The Cool Down · Tennessee

The Trump administration announced a $100 billion privately funded artificial intelligence data center campus at Kentucky's former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility. The project is expected to create approximately 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs, with Brookfield Asset Management developing the campus and NextEra Energy building power infrastructure.

WBMA · Tennessee · also at mynbc15.com

Headline onlylocalmemphis.com · Shelby Co., TN

An Ohio-based industrial contractor's CEO says SpaceXAI owes his company approximately $570 million, representing roughly 40% of a $1.5 billion total contract bill.

Daily Memphian · Shelby Co., TN

Darryl Cuttell, CEO of Darana Hybrid and owner of the International Hot Rod Association, claims SpaceXAI owes his company approximately $570 million for data center construction work in Tennessee and Mississippi. Darana Hybrid filed two mechanics' liens totaling $137 million this week, with Cuttell alleging payments stopped following the xAI and SpaceX merger.

Competition Plus · Tennessee

Headline onlyWREG.com · Shelby Co., TN · also at AOL.com

SpaceXAI says it will remove unpermitted gas turbines powering its data center by July 2027 under an agreed order with Mississippi environmental officials. The NAACP has sued the company, alleging the turbines violate the Clean Air Act by exposing nearby communities to hazardous pollution.

Engadget · Shelby Co., TN

Headline onlylocalmemphis.com · Shelby Co., TN

SpaceXAI agreed to gradually remove 69 gas turbines from its data center facilities along the Mississippi-Tennessee border following lawsuits over noise and air pollution. The company plans to complete removal by July 2027 and replace them with a 1.2 GW permanent power plant featuring advanced emission control technologies.

PCMag · Shelby Co., TN

SpaceX has delayed the removal of unpermitted turbines powering xAI's Colossus data center in Memphis until mid-2027, while constructing a permanent natural gas power plant to replace them. The turbines have operated without proper air quality permits since the facility's startup earlier this year.

techbuzz.ai · Shelby Co., TN

SpaceX said it will remove unpermitted turbines powering xAI data centers near Memphis by July 2027 as it transitions to a permanent 1.2 gigawatt natural gas power plant. The company currently operates 69 gas turbines at the Colossus data centers, which the NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center have sued over.

techcrunch.com · Shelby Co., TN

Headline onlyrocketcitynow.com · Shelby Co., TN · also at localmemphis.com

Elon Musk confirmed SpaceXAI is building a fourth data center in Memphis, Tennessee, as the company agreed to remove 69 gas turbines over the next year following legal action claiming they violated the Clean Air Act. A permanent 1.2-gigawatt power plant will eventually replace the temporary turbines at the site.

Data Center Dynamics · Shelby Co., TN

Whitehaven residents say they were surprised to learn of a newly disclosed xAI data center facility called Minihard being developed in their neighborhood along Tulane Road, adding to existing construction projects. Community members and advocates have expressed concerns about lack of transparency, construction noise, traffic safety, and potential environmental impacts from the expanding xAI presence in Memphis.

FOX13 Memphis · Shelby Co., TN

East Tennessee cities are implementing restrictions on data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities citing concerns about noise, energy consumption, air pollution, and environmental impact. The efforts follow a lawsuit by crypto company ExoticRidge against Hawkins County's ban, prompting communities including Bristol, Kingsport, Jonesborough, and Washington County to pass moratoriums or strict zoning regulations before facilities arrive.

Tennessee Lookout · Tennessee

Headline onlyfinance.biggo.com · Shelby Co., TN

Rep. Frank Pallone, ranking member of the House Committee on Energy, demanded SpaceX CEO Elon Musk provide records and a tour of AI data centers and power plants in Memphis, Tennessee, alleging the company's use of natural gas turbines without pollution controls or permits poses health risks to local communities.

Pluang · Shelby Co., TN

The top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee is demanding SpaceX CEO Elon Musk provide a tour of xAI data centers and power plants in Memphis, citing concerns about environmental impacts and community effects from AI infrastructure expansion.

CNBC · Shelby Co., TN

Headline onlyWSMV · Sumner Co., TN

Headline onlyThe Commercial Appeal · Shelby Co., TN

A U.S. House Democrat is demanding environmental and operational information from Elon Musk regarding xAI data centers in Tennessee and Mississippi, citing concerns about emissions, water usage, and potential clean-air permit violations involving natural gas turbines powering the AI facilities.

thenews.com.pk · Shelby Co., TN