xAI to gradually dismantle gas turbines at Colossus data center

The xAI company, founded by Elon Musk, has officially announced the beginning of the dismantling of temporary mobile gas turbines that have been supplying power to the giant Colossus data center located on the border of Tennessee and Mississippi states. According to Ixbt.com, all 69 high-power generators are planned to be completely decommissioned by July 2027. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .

These gas turbines were used by the company as a temporary solution. According to the plan, they will eventually be replaced by a permanent power plant with a capacity of 1.2 GW. With the commissioning of the new energy facilities, the mobile units are planned to be gradually disconnected from the grid and dismantled.

Unprecedented pace of the Colossus project

Recall that the xAI-owned Colossus data centers became famous worldwide for their record-breaking construction speeds. According to the company, the infrastructure required to house 100,000 NVIDIA H200 AI accelerators was successfully built in just 19 days.

Earlier, NVIDIA head Jensen Huang specifically noted that large-scale projects of this magnitude usually take several years to implement. However, the need to power AI clusters in an extremely short timeframe necessitated the use of a temporary power supply scheme.

Environmental disputes and lawsuits

Nevertheless, the temporary power supply system sparked serious objections and debates. Local residents and environmental organizations strongly criticized the mobile gas turbines for operating without necessary permits and worsening the ecological situation in the region. xAI, in turn, argued that these devices were temporary in nature and that certain regulatory requirements should not apply to them.

Later, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that such turbines must still obtain the appropriate permits. Furthermore, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) lawfully challenged their operation in court.

New agreement and future plans

Complicating the situation, the US Department of Justice warned that the immediate shutdown of the generators could undermine the operation of the second phase of the Colossus data center, which is engaged in critical tasks. However, xAI has now reached a mutual agreement with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

Under the reached agreement, the future permanent power plant will operate based on a permit issued in accordance with the US Clean Air Act. Until the mobile turbines are completely abandoned, xAI has committed to equipping them with additional emission control systems that significantly reduce pollutant volumes.