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The Department of Justice on Monday sided with xAI in a lawsuit that sought to stop the company\u2019s use of dozens of unpermitted natural gas turbines<\/a> near its Memphis data centers, according to Wired<\/a>.<\/p>\n The DOJ said if the NAACP, which filed the lawsuit in April, prevails, the result would undermine \u201cAmerican national, economic, and energy security by seeking to shut off the power supply for artificial-intelligence innovation that supports the Department of War\u2019s military operations.\u201d<\/p>\n The memorandum filed by the Justice Department said that Grok is one of four AI models that support \u201cmission-critical operations,\u201d such as its recent strikes in Iran.<\/p>\n The NAACP started telegraphing its intent to sue xAI last June<\/a>, seeking to end the company\u2019s practice of using \u201cmobile\u201d gas turbines at its Colossus and Colossus 2 data centers. Those efforts failed, and Elon Musk\u2019s AI company has since added more turbines, bringing the total to 57.<\/p>\n Because the turbines have remained on trailers, xAI claims that they are exempt from Mississippi air pollution regulations for one year. The Southern Environmental Law Center, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the NAACP, says that the company\u2019s use still violates federal law, which states that trailer-mounted turbines can be considered stationary and are therefore subject to regulation.<\/p>\n The NAACP has said that the region, already one of the most polluted in the country, has suffered worse air quality since xAI\u2019s data centers went online.<\/p>\n Since last year, the number of turbines at the data centers have more than doubled, resulting in a corresponding increase in three major air pollutants: PM2.5, formaldehyde, and oxides of nitrogen (NOx<\/sub>). All three have been linked to asthma and cardiovascular disease. Formaldehyde exposure increases the risk of cancer, and PM2.5 has been implicated in a range of ailments, from stroke to Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n The company, which is now a division of SpaceX, is likely to buy more generators in the coming months or years. In SpaceX\u2019s IPO filing<\/a>, the company said that it will buy another $2.8 billion worth<\/a> of gas turbines to power its AI data centers over the next three years. Of that, at least $2 billion are earmarked for \u201cmobile gas turbines.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n