Latest news with #Colossus'
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
20-05-2025
- Business
- First Post
Elon Musk faces strong pushback from Memphis residents over his 'digital delta' factory
People in Boxtown, which houses an economically disadvantaged community in south Memphis, have already been battling with poor air quality. With the establishment of Musk's facility, dubbed the 'Digital Delta', residents are up against the world's richest man as their health comes at stake read more Tesla CEO Elon Musk turned an abandoned factory in Memphis into an AI powerhouse last month, and just 30 days into its operations, residents have been complaining of air pollution. The factory, named 'Colossus' by Musk, is the 'most powerful AI training system in the world' and is being handled by his artificial intelligence company, xAI. 'This is just the beginning," the company said on its website as it already has plans to build a second facility in Memphis. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD AI demands vast amounts of energy, and Musk's company has set up numerous gas-powered turbines, which emit a mix of harmful pollutants. Despite this, the company is operating without air permits, seemingly exploiting a loophole meant for temporary turbine use. However, environmental organisations argue that this exemption is not applicable, and local residents have expressed strong opposition. Health of residents compromised People in Boxtown, which houses an economically disadvantaged community in south Memphis, have already been battling with poor air quality. With the establishment of Musk's facility, dubbed the 'Digital Delta', residents are up against the world's richest man as their health comes at stake. 'Our health was never considered, the safety of our communities was never, ever considered,' said Sarah Gladney, a resident of the town who suffers from a lung condition, told CNN. Memphis natives do not have the support of their mayor, who views the facility as an economic opportunity for the city. Mayor Paul Young said, 'What we are looking at is an opportunity to completely transform our economy.' How is the facility polluting the air? Gas-powered turbines emit various pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, a major contributor to ozone pollution, commonly known as smog. Exposure to this type of pollution can trigger asthma attacks and chest discomfort, and over time, it has been associated with reduced lung function and an increased risk of premature death. This is a major concern for an area already burdened by severe air pollution. A ProPublica analysis found that the cancer risk from industrial emissions in southwest Memphis is 4.1 times greater than what the EPA considers acceptable. Additionally, Shelby County has received an 'F' grade for ozone pollution from the American Lung Association and reports the highest rate of childhood asthma hospitalisations in Tennessee.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's xAI powering its facility in Memphis with ‘illegal' generators
KeShaun Pearson took a seat in front of the Shelby county board of commissioners in Memphis, Tennessee, on Wednesday morning. In the gallery behind him, a small group of people held up signs that said 'Our air = our lives' and 'Our water, Our future.' With a manner-of-fact demeanor, Pearson addressed the commissioners. 'I'm here because today we've learned that xAI is using 35 methane gas burning turbines,' said Pearson, who is the director of the advocacy group Memphis Community Against Pollution. 'They have submitted a permit to our Shelby county health department for 15, yet they are using double that amount with no permit.' It's been known that xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, has been using around 15 portable generators to help power its massive supercomputer in Memphis without yet securing permits. But new aerial images obtained by the Southern Environmental Law Center show that number is now far higher. The group says these gas turbines combined can generate around 420MW of electricity, enough to power an entire city. 'xAI has essentially built a power plant in South Memphis with no oversight, no permitting, and no regard for families living in nearby communities,' Amanda Garcia, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said in a statement. 'These dozens of gas turbines are doing significant harm to the air Memphians breathe every day.' Related: US senator introduces conflict of interest bill aimed at Elon Musk The 35 generators xAI is using are 'illegal' and a 'major source of air pollution', the law center wrote in a letter to the Shelby county health department on Wednesday. It says these high emission rates violate the Clean Air Act, including specified limits on toxic and carcinogenic pollution. Musk fired up his xAI facility in Memphis last summer. He calls the supercomputer 'Colossus' and it's tasked with providing compute power for xAI's chatbot Grok. The building that houses Colossus is the size of 13 football fields and Musk has said he plans to double that. Artificial intelligence requires an immense amount of energy to carry out computations and provide quick responses to user queries. For example, a query with ChatGPT needs nearly 10 times as much electricity as a typical Google search query, according to a report by Goldman Sachs. In the US, the majority of that electricity comes from burning fossil fuels like coal and gas, which are primary drivers of climate change. xAI already has contracts to draw 150MW of electricity from Memphis' local utility, which is enough to power 100,000 homes a year. But Musk has said he needs even more energy to deal with power fluctuation issues at the plant. When the first few methane gas generators appeared outside the xAI facility last summer, it caused a stir because the Shelby county health department and the Environmental Protection Agency said xAI wasn't using permits to run those generators. It appears the company found a loophole in the system that allows it to use the gas generators as long as they're not in the same location for more than 364 days. In January, xAI applied for a permit for 15 generators, but there was no mention of the additional 20 units in the application. The Shelby county health separtment, Environmental Protection Agency and xAI did not immediately return requests for comment. The Southern Environmental Law Center says these generators are running 24/7 and pump harmful nitrogen oxides into the air. Within one to two miles of xAI are several residential neighborhoods, where the people who live there have long dealt with industrial pollution. This area is historically Black and has higher rates of cancer and asthma and a lower life expectancy than other parts of the city. In its letter to the health department, the Southern Environmental Law Center says an emergency order should be issued that requires xAI to cease or suspend the use of the 35 generators. If xAI doesn't comply, the group says, it should be penalized $25,000 each day it violates the Clean Air Act. A representative from xAI, Brent Mayo, was on the agenda to speak with the Shelby county board of commissioners on Wednesday. But he didn't show up. The commission chair said she sent three emails to Mayo notifying him of the meeting and that 'we did not hear back from him'. A representative for the Chamber of Commerce, which has worked with xAI to set up its facility in Memphis, told the commissioners that xAI didn't get the emails. Members of the community, like Pearson, did speak to the commissioners on Wednesday. They all had concerns with xAI's pollution and the multiplying of its gas generators. Pearson is from one of the neighborhoods near xAI and said both of his grandmothers died of cancer in their 60s. He believes their deaths were caused by living so close to Memphis' industrial zone. 'Nobody else should be burying their families because these rogue, rich, white, racist people continue to build projects that are suffocating us,' Pearson said. 'This is all preventable.'
The Guardian
10-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Elon Musk's xAI powering its facility in Memphis with ‘illegal' generators
KeShaun Pearson took a seat in front of the Shelby county board of commissioners in Memphis, Tennessee, on Wednesday morning. In the gallery behind him, a small group of people held up signs that said 'Our air = our lives' and 'Our water, Our future.' With a manner-of-fact demeanor, Pearson addressed the commissioners. 'I'm here because today we've learned that xAI is using 35 methane gas burning turbines,' said Pearson, who is the director of the advocacy group Memphis Community Against Pollution. 'They have submitted a permit to our Shelby county health department for 15, yet they are using double that amount with no permit.' It's been known that xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, has been using around 15 portable generators to help power its massive supercomputer in Memphis without yet securing permits. But new aerial images obtained by the Southern Environmental Law Center show that number is now far higher. The group says these gas turbines combined can generate around 420MW of electricity, enough to power an entire city. 'xAI has essentially built a power plant in South Memphis with no oversight, no permitting, and no regard for families living in nearby communities,' Amanda Garcia, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said in a statement. 'These dozens of gas turbines are doing significant harm to the air Memphians breathe every day.' The 35 generators xAI is using are 'illegal' and a 'major source of air pollution', the law center wrote in a letter to the Shelby county health department on Wednesday. It says these high emission rates violate the Clean Air Act, including specified limits on toxic and carcinogenic pollution. Musk fired up his xAI facility in Memphis last summer. He calls the supercomputer 'Colossus' and it's tasked with providing compute power for xAI's chatbot Grok. The building that houses Colossus is the size of 13 football fields and Musk has said he plans to double that. Artificial intelligence requires an immense amount of energy to carry out computations and provide quick responses to user queries. For example, a query with ChatGPT needs nearly 10 times as much electricity as a typical Google search query, according to a report by Goldman Sachs. In the US, the majority of that electricity comes from burning fossil fuels like coal and gas, which are primary drivers of climate change. xAI already has contracts to draw 150MW of electricity from Memphis' local utility, which is enough to power 100,000 homes a year. But Musk has said he needs even more energy to deal with power fluctuation issues at the plant. When the first few methane gas generators appeared outside the xAI facility last summer, it caused a stir because the Shelby county health department and the Environmental Protection Agency said xAI wasn't using permits to run those generators. It appears the company found a loophole in the system that allows it to use the gas generators as long as they're not in the same location for more than 364 days. In January, xAI applied for a permit for 15 generators, but there was no mention of the additional 20 units in the application. The Shelby county health separtment, Environmental Protection Agency and xAI did not immediately return requests for comment. The Southern Environmental Law Center says these generators are running 24/7 and pump harmful nitrogen oxides into the air. Within one to two miles of xAI are several residential neighborhoods, where the people who live there have long dealt with industrial pollution. This area is historically Black and has higher rates of cancer and asthma and a lower life expectancy than other parts of the city. In its letter to the health department, the Southern Environmental Law Center says an emergency order should be issued that requires xAI to cease or suspend the use of the 35 generators. If xAI doesn't comply, the group says, it should be penalized $25,000 each day it violates the Clean Air Act. A representative from xAI, Brent Mayo, was on the agenda to speak with the Shelby county board of commissioners on Wednesday. But he didn't show up. The commission chair said she sent three emails to Mayo notifying him of the meeting and that 'we did not hear back from him'. A representative for the Chamber of Commerce, which has worked with xAI to set up its facility in Memphis, told the commissioners that xAI didn't get the emails. Members of the community, like Pearson, did speak to the commissioners on Wednesday. They all had concerns with xAI's pollution and the multiplying of its gas generators. Pearson is from one of the neighborhoods near xAI and said both of his grandmothers died of cancer in their 60s. He believes their deaths were caused by living so close to Memphis' industrial zone. 'Nobody else should be burying their families because these rogue, rich, white, racist people continue to build projects that are suffocating us,' Pearson said. 'This is all preventable.'
Euronews
29-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Elon Musk has sold social media site X to his own AI company xAI for $33 billion
ADVERTISEMENT Billionaire Elon Musk announced on Friday that he has sold social media site X, formerly known as Twitter when he bought it over two years ago, to his own artificial intelligence (AI) company xAI in a $33 billion (€30.5 billion) all-stock deal. Both companies are privately held, which means they are not required to disclose their finances to the public. Musk, who is also head of astronautical company SpaceX and carmaker Tesla, said in a post on X that the move will "unlock immense potential by blending xAI's advanced AI capability and expertise with X's massive reach". Related The highs and lows of Elon Musk: How the world's richest man was made "xAI and X's futures are intertwined. Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution, and talent," Musk posted. "The combined company will deliver smarter, more meaningful experiences to billions of people while staying true to our core mission of seeking truth and advancing knowledge," he added. Musk said the deal values xAI at $80 billion (€74 billion) and X at $33 billion (€30.5 billion). Ambitions for xAI The South African-born tech mogul, who also serves as an advisor to President Donald Trump heading the unofficial DOGE department, bought the site then called Twitter for $44 billion (€40 billion) in 2022, gutted its staff, and changed its policies on hate speech, misinformation, and user verification and renamed it X. He launched xAI a year later. "Since its founding two years ago, xAI has rapidly become one of the leading AI labs in the world, building models and data centres at unprecedented speed and scale," Musk wrote on X. Related Elon Musk's X attracts more right-leaning users since Twitter takeover, new research finds Musk announced in December that the AI start-up would be expanding its supercomputer 'Colossus' in a bid to take on rivals like OpenAI, increasing the number of graphics processing units (GPUs) in order to develop new AI models at faster rates. It's not clear if the move will change anything for X users - xAI already uses data from X user posts to train its AI models and paying X users have access to its AI chatbot, Grok .
