this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2025
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xAI Data Center Emits Plumes of Pollution, New Video Shows (www.desmog.com)
submitted 1 day ago by Pro@programming.dev to c/technology@lemmy.world
36 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

A massive data center at xAI’s controversial site in Memphis, Tennessee is emitting huge plumes of pollution, according to footage recorded by an environmental watchdog group.

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[–] brachypelmasmithi@lemm.ee 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Direct quote from the article:

Having difficulty securing enough grid power to fuel the energy-hungry data center, xAI brought in 35 portable gas turbines, and assembled them without environmental permits or pollution controls.

Looks like it's not just cooling that they're doing there. The link in the quote leads to an article describing the data centre's new turbines, specifically referring to them as methane gas turbines.

I skimmed that article briefly and I don't think it points out the mechanism by which these turbines work - if it does, I must've missed it. I did however see a line that said the turbines also release formaldehyde during operation.

Methane in this case seems to me to either be a byproduct of power generation or unused fuel somehow leaking from the system. I have no clue how gas turbines work, so I'm talking out of my ass here. In any case this seems to be the source of the methane emissions.

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

It's amazing to me that cloud computing is so profitable that they can run inefficient gas generators to power it.

People don't think about the internet being fossil fuel powered.

[–] obinice@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Methane is what the majority of natural gas is made up of, and if your generator isn't made to be very efficient (like a real power station is), you'll lose some of your fuel unburnt into the atmosphere.

Kinda like unburnt wood smoke vapour, which could have been burned in a higher quality wood burner, but just goes up the chimney in an open fire.