One of the big downsides of artificial intelligence is the massive amount of energy required to support the computing power to create the artificial intelligence bots. As somebody who used to be involved with data centers before artificial intelligence, I know they took massive amounts of powers back in the 1990s and early 2000s. The new data centers are incredibly power-hungry. The computers run hot. They need to be cooled, and they require massive amounts of reliable energy.

towards that end, XAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company has signed an agreement with Tennessee Valley Authority to provide power to the data center powering their artificial intelligence.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) recently approved a significant power agreement to supply 150 megawatts to Elon Musk’s xAI data center in Memphis, Tennessee. This facility, referred to as a “Gigafactory of Compute,” is designed to support high-demand AI operations, including powering AI tools like Grok, a chatbot developed by Musk’s xAI. The expansion aims to double the data center’s power usage, potentially consuming enough energy to power over 100,000 homes. xAI also plans to install water treatment systems to mitigate the facility’s impact on the Memphis aquifer, though concerns remain about the environmental footprint on the surrounding area [oai_citation:5,At board meeting in Murray, TVA approves power agreement for Elon Musk’s supercomputer in Memphis, Tenn. | WKMS]() [oai_citation:4,TVA dismisses community concerns, approves power agreement for controversial xAI facility – Southern Environmental Law Center](https://www.southernenvironment.org/press-release/tva-dismisses-community-concerns-approves-power-agreement-for-controversial-xai-facility/).

The TVA board’s decision has been met with some local opposition. Community members and environmental groups are concerned about the increased pollution and environmental strain the center could bring to predominantly Black neighborhoods in South Memphis. Activists argue the expansion will further burden an area already dealing with air quality challenges and pollution, raising concerns about environmental justice. In response, TVA has expressed its commitment to balancing industrial demand with environmental responsibility by working with xAI to implement demand response and pollution control measures [oai_citation:3,At board meeting in Murray, TVA approves power agreement for Elon Musk’s supercomputer in Memphis, Tenn. | WKMS](https://www.wkms.org/energy/2024-11-07/at-board-meeting-in-murray-tva-approves-power-agreement-for-elon-musks-supercomputer-in-memphis-tenn) [oai_citation:2,TVA dismisses community concerns, approves power agreement for controversial xAI facility – Southern Environmental Law Center](https://www.southernenvironment.org/press-release/tva-dismisses-community-concerns-approves-power-agreement-for-controversial-xai-facility/) [oai_citation:1,Tennessee Valley Authority Approves 150MW Power Supply to Elon Musk’s](https://hoodline.com/2024/11/tennessee-valley-authority-approves-150mw-power-supply-to-elon-musk-s-xai-gigafactory-of-compute-in-memphis-amid-environmental-concerns/).