The stench of rotten eggs and burning debris fills the air in Boxtown, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Memphis. Just a few miles away, a power plant fuels one of SpaceXAI's data centers, which are popping up all over Tennessee. Hastily built to meet skyrocketing demand for computing power required by the global artificial intelligence race, these data centers are facing opposition across the United States.
Teenager Jasmine Bernard, who lives in a neighborhood bordering Boxtown, has been fighting for two years against the gas turbines that power the data center and spew emissions into the air. The people of South Memphis have suffered through years of pollution from factories in Boxtown, founded by freed slaves after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. The risk of developing cancer here is four times higher than the national average.
KeShaun Pearson, co-founder of Memphis Community Against Pollution, has been criss-crossing the country to raise awareness about the environmental dangers of data centers and speak about Boxtown, which he says has been abandoned by local officials. Pearson says the SpaceXAI data center, named Colossus I, is "a textbook case of what it looks like when elected officials make promises about economic mobility."
SpaceXAI, which did not respond to a request for comment, said in a statement that it is working to make sure that its mobile turbines are "equipped with advanced emission control technologies." However, advocacy groups and experts say that by erecting turbines without a permit or any public consultation, SpaceXAI has disregarded existing legislation such as the Clean Air Act. In late July, the company said it would dismantle the turbines and replace them with a power plant that is up to code, but opponents say the deal was negotiated behind closed doors with local officials.
The situation in Memphis highlights the growing tension between technological advancement and environmental justice, particularly in historically marginalized communities. As more data centers are built to support the global AI race, the need for stringent environmental regulations and community involvement becomes increasingly urgent.
