Data Center Census

Memphis, Shelby County, TN

xAI Colossus 2

Also known as Colossus 2, SpaceXAI Colossus 2

Under constructionPartly in use training Grok while expansion continues; powered largely by gas turbines at a Southaven, MS plant subject to an NAACP Clean Air Act suit
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

xAI's second Memphis supercomputer site, a roughly 1-million-sq-ft facility on Tulane Road in the Whitehaven area, separate from the original Colossus site. It is powered in large part by gas turbines at a former Duke Energy plant across the state line in Southaven, Mississippi, where regulators permitted 41 turbines (1.2 GW) in March 2026. Scientific American reported about 1,775 MW of power capacity by July 2026, and a $659.3 million permit for an additional building was filed in March 2026.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity1.78 GW [5]
Approximate power capacity by July 2026 per Scientific American; DCD noted claims of 1 GW at launch vs. ~350 MW cooling seen in January 2026 imagery
Floor area1 million sq ft [1]
Property purchased March 2025 for about $80 million by xAI affiliate
Permanent jobs (promised)320 [1]
Announced with expansion

Power

Power supplyGas turbines at former Duke Energy plant in Southaven, MS (41 permanent turbines permitted, 1.2 GW; 69 temporary turbines reported by July 2026) [4]
Air permitMississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board approved xAI's permit for permanent turbines on March 10, 2026, with all six members present voting in favor [7]
Source excerpt
“All six members who were present Tuesday — the state Oil and Gas Board's David Snodgrass was the lone absence — voted to approve xAI's permit application.”

Local decisions & site

Parcel / addressColossus Gas Plant: 2875 Stanton Road South, Southaven, Mississippi (about 1 mile from Colossus 2) [8]
Source excerpt
“MZX Tech owns and operates the Colossus Gas Plant located at 2875 Stanton Road South in Southaven, Mississippi.”
Nearest homes or schoolsNine schools within three miles of the Colossus Gas Plant (per NAACP complaint) [8]
Source excerpt
“Within just three miles of the Colossus Gas Plant, children attend school at nine different elementary, middle, and high schools.”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Lawsuits

NAACP v. X.AI Corp. and MZX Tech LLC, No. 3:26-cv-00074-MPM-JMVpending [8]
Clean Air Act suit alleging xAI and MZX Tech installed and operated gas turbines in Southaven without an air permit.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi · filed Apr 14, 2026
Source excerpt
“Between August and December 2025, Defendants xAI and its wholly owned subsidiary MZX Tech LLC installed and began operating twenty-seven polluting gas turbines (the 'Colossus Gas Plant') in Southaven, Mississippi, which is in DeSoto County, without an air permit or regard for the health and safety of people living nearby.”

Timeline

  1. Expansion announced at Tulane Road site in Whitehaven [3]

  2. xAI affiliate MZX Tech buys former Duke power plant site in Southaven, MS [3]

  3. Application filed with Mississippi regulators for 41-turbine permit [3]

  4. Permit filed for $659.3M, four-story building adjacent to Colossus 2 [2]

  5. Mississippi DEQ board approves 41 turbines (1.2 GW) to power Colossus 2 and planned Colossus 3 [4]

  6. NAACP files Clean Air Act lawsuit against xAI and MZX Tech; DOJ moved in June 2026 to intervene on the company’s side [5]

  7. Southaven residents file a federal class action against xAI and MZX Tech over turbine noise. [9]

  8. Justice Department files motion to intervene and seek dismissal of the NAACP Clean Air Act lawsuit. [10]

  9. Mississippi DEQ sets retirement schedule for 69 temporary turbines at the Southaven plant (Aug. 18, 2026 to July 14, 2027), allowing 13 to run past the original deadline [6]

Issues raised

  • Neighbors in Southaven reported noise from unpermitted turbines in Nov. 2025 [3]
  • SELC says the Mississippi permit was fast-tracked without addressing significant concerns; meeting was held in Jackson with five days' notice [4]

Sources

  1. Colossus (supercomputer)
    Wikipedia · other
  2. xAI files permit for $659M expansion of Colossus 2 site
    Action News 5 · Mar 3, 2026 · news
  3. Inside Memphis' fight against xAI
    Southern Environmental Law Center · May 8, 2026 · other
  4. Musk's xAI gets go-ahead for 41 natural gas turbines in Mississippi to power Colossus data centers
    DatacenterDynamics · Mar 11, 2026 · news
  5. The data center backlash comes for SpaceXAI's Colossus
    Scientific American · Sep 9, 2026 · news
  6. State sets dates to retire temporary xAI turbines
    Mississippi Today · Jul 31, 2026 · news
  7. State board approves xAI permit
    Mississippi Today · Mar 10, 2026 · news
  8. Complaint, NAACP v. X.AI Corp. and MZX Tech LLC, No. 3:26-cv-00074-MPM-JMV
    U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi (via NAACP) · Apr 14, 2026 · court
  9. Southaven residents sue Elon Musk's xAI alleging harm from gas turbines
    Mississippi Today · Jun 9, 2026 · news
  10. xAI Faces DOJ Bid to Dismiss NAACP Clean Air Act Lawsuit
    Lawyer Monthly · Jun 17, 2026 · news