Musk’s AI runs on gas turbines, defying solar pledge
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- Elon Musk has repeatedly claimed a small desert area could power the entire US with solar, a vision he promoted in 2017 and reiterated in 2019.
- xAI operates 62 unpermitted methane gas turbines across data centers in Memphis, Tennessee, and Southaven, Mississippi, powering its Colossus supercomputers.
- EPA closed a regulatory loophole in January 2026, yet xAI’s turbines still emit >6 million tons CO₂ and >1,300 tons pollutants annually.
- Grok (Musk’s AI chatbot) has shed 60 % of its downloads and its idle compute was sold to a firm Musk called “misanthropic and evil” three months ago.
- SpaceX is filing for a $2 trillion IPO while Musk continues to promote space‑based solar panels, juxtaposing his clean‑energy rhetoric with the gas‑fuel‑intensive AI operation.
Why it matters: Environmental NGOs lose ground as xAI’s gas turbines spew >6M tons CO₂, while investors see Musk’s clean‑energy brand erode, prompting lawsuits and a $2 trillion IPO backlash.
