The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has sent a scathing letter to local officials in Shelby County, calling on them to shut down operations at Elon Musk’s xAI facility in South Memphis, known as Colossus. The civil rights group is concerned about the facility’s “dirty data center” and its impact on the surrounding community.
The NAACP claims that authorities have allowed xAI to operate without necessary permits for over a year, despite the facility emitting hazardous air pollutants, including formaldehyde and nitrogen-oxide emissions. The group specifically pointed out that the location of Colossus near South Memphis’s Boxtown neighborhood, which is predominantly African American, perpetuates the trend of polluting communities with high pollution rates.
The NAACP’s letter expresses outrage that local officials have not taken adequate measures to address health issues in the area, including a cancer rate four times the national average. The group demands that the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water take immediate action to stop xAI operations or cite them for violating clean air laws.
This comes as the facility’s leader, xAI, has applied for permits to continue operating 15 gas turbines, which emit pollutants at levels exceeding EPA limits.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/31/naacp-calls-on-officials-to-halt-operations-at-xais-dirty-data-center-in-memphis