Memphis locals sound alarm as Elon Musk transforms abandoned warehouse into futuristic supercomputer

Elon Musk is going all in on the AI future, revealing a major transformation that turned an abandoned warehouse into a futuristic supercomputer, yet locals aren't too happy as it could come at a cost to their health.

There is no doubt whatsoever that artificial intelligence is the next big thing in the tech world – and it's arguably already surpassed that point – yet to combat that demand you need an overwhelming supply.

In order to 'think', AI needs computational power, and instead of drawing from the devices of the users themselves, it instead pulls from behemoth data centers built to sustain the barrage of searches, queries, and prompts thrown at each company's models every single second.

Tech giants like Meta and Google have already established 'mammoth' data centers across the country following several billion dollar investments, and Elon Musk's xAI has followed suit by building its home in an abandoned warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee.

As reported by 3DVF, a former dormant factory building near the neighborhood of Boxtown has been transformed by xAI into a futuristic supercomputer named Colossus, and Musk aims to make it the world's most powerful supercomputer capable of training the next generation of AI models.

What are the benefits of Colossus?

From the perspective of Elon Musk the benefits of building Colossus are almost limitless, as it allows him to establish himself and xAI as a major player in the artificial intelligence world, and continue to expand the capabilities of its AI tools.

Colossus will give xAI the capacity to potentially evolve Grok into the world's leading AI model (Brandon Dill for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

While Grok has had a number of high profile controversies already – including references to white genocide and expressions of Nazi ideology – Musk has claimed recently that its latest model is smarter than a PhD candidate, and it also gained the ability to generate 'Vine-like' short video clips.

Having a supercomputer as powerful as Colossus could end up being at its disposal, xAI could become a leading figure in the space and forefront the innovation that so many companies – including Musk's long time rival Sam Altman's OpenAI – are looking to achieve.

Furthermore, xAI's 'Delta Digital' program promises to ignite heavy investment in the local area and Memphis as a whole, making it a key city in the world of global innovation.

There could be an increase in jobs available in construction and AI-adjacent fields, alongside a ripple effect for surrounding businesses that benefit from the extra attention that is brought to the surrounding area.

Why are so many local residents unhappy with Colossus?

However, the reality for many local residents – especially those who live in Boxtown – is far less ideal, and there has been significant pushback from the community and environmental activists to the consequences that Musk's data center has already brought about.

One of the biggest issues currently plaguing the local area is the significant pollution that has allegedly been caused by the operation of Colossus, as the building relies on a large number of methane gas turbines — and detractors claim that Musk is using more than he is legally allowed to.

Local residents have expressed their clear opposition to xAI's plans, citing the health risks that the data center's turbines have already caused (Brandon Dill for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Residents have expressed that they can't breathe in their own homes and that it smells like gas when they step outside, and activist group Memphis Community Against Pollution, led by KeShaun Pearson, have remained outspoken against Musk's plans.

"Our local leaders are entrusted with protecting us from corporations violating on our right to clean air, but we are witnessing their failure to do so," Pearson expressed.

"Nobody else should be buring their families because these rogue, rich, white, racist people continue to build projects that are suffocating us. This is all preventable," he continued.

This unfortunately isn't a new experience for Boxtown residents either, as the community was historically exposed to pollution issues thanks to the Allen Fossil Plant which spread harmful noxious coal ash across the surrounding area.

Outside of the major health issues, residents are also experiencing an increase in energy costs, heavy noise pollution from the work being made on Colossus, and residual heat being released from the center, resulting in an unpleasant and dangerous process that brings little benefit to them.