xAI Colossus 2
Memphis, Shelby County, TNDeveloper: xAI
Also known as Colossus 2, SpaceXAI Colossus 2
- Rumored
- Proposed
- Approved
- Under construction
- Operating
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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 capacity | 1.78 GW [4] 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 |
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Power
| Power supply | Gas turbines at former Duke Energy plant in Southaven, MS (41 permanent turbines permitted, 1.2 GW; 69 temporary turbines reported by July 2026) [3] |
|---|---|
| Air permit | Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board approved xAI's permit for permanent turbines on March 10, 2026, with all six members present voting in favor [6]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 / address | Colossus Gas Plant: 2875 Stanton Road South, Southaven, Mississippi (about 1 mile from Colossus 2) [7]Source excerpt“MZX Tech owns and operates the Colossus Gas Plant located at 2875 Stanton Road South in Southaven, Mississippi.” |
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| Nearest homes or schools | Nine schools within three miles of the Colossus Gas Plant (per NAACP complaint) [7]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.
Water and power
Water
Not disclosed. No source reviewed gives a water figure for this site. The Census does not estimate one.
Disclosed figures only, each as the cited source states it. Many are projections or permit limits, not metered use. How data center water and power use is measured, and every disclosed figure →
Lawsuits
| NAACP v. X.AI Corp. and MZX Tech LLC, No. 3:26-cv-00074-MPM-JMV | pending [7] 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
Expansion announced at Tulane Road site in Whitehaven [2]
xAI affiliate MZX Tech buys former Duke power plant site in Southaven, MS [2]
Application filed with Mississippi regulators for 41-turbine permit [2]
Permit filed for $659.3M, four-story building adjacent to Colossus 2 [1]
Mississippi DEQ board approves 41 turbines (1.2 GW) to power Colossus 2 and planned Colossus 3 [3]
NAACP, represented by SELC and Earthjustice, sues xAI and its subsidiary MZX Tech under the Clean Air Act over gas turbines run at the Southaven plant before an air permit; MDEQ had granted a permit for 27 turbines in March 2026. The plant powers Colossus 2. DOJ moved in June 2026 to intervene on the company's side [10]
Southaven residents file a federal class action against xAI and MZX Tech over turbine noise. [8]
Justice Department files motion to intervene and seek dismissal of the NAACP Clean Air Act lawsuit. [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 [5]
Issues raised
- Neighbors in Southaven reported noise from unpermitted turbines in Nov. 2025 [2]
- SELC says the Mississippi permit was fast-tracked without addressing significant concerns; meeting was held in Jackson with five days' notice [3]
Issues are concerns and claims raised by the parties, officials or residents named in the cited sources. They are reported as attributed, not as findings by the Census.
Sources
- xAI files permit for $659M expansion of Colossus 2 siteAction News 5 · Mar 3, 2026 · news
- Inside Memphis' fight against xAISouthern Environmental Law Center · May 8, 2026 · other
- Musk's xAI gets go-ahead for 41 natural gas turbines in Mississippi to power Colossus data centersDatacenterDynamics · Mar 11, 2026 · news
- The data center backlash comes for SpaceXAI's ColossusScientific American · Sep 9, 2026 · news
- State sets dates to retire temporary xAI turbinesMississippi Today · Jul 31, 2026 · news
- State board approves xAI permitMississippi Today · Mar 10, 2026 · news
- Complaint, NAACP v. X.AI Corp. and MZX Tech LLC, No. 3:26-cv-00074-MPM-JMVU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi (via NAACP) · Apr 14, 2026 · court
- Southaven residents sue Elon Musk's xAI alleging harm from gas turbinesMississippi Today · Jun 9, 2026 · news
- xAI Faces DOJ Bid to Dismiss NAACP Clean Air Act LawsuitLawyer Monthly · Jun 17, 2026 · news
- NAACP sues xAI, alleging unlawful operation of gas turbines in SouthavenWLBT · Apr 14, 2026 · news
Cite this page
Last updated Nov 5, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.
| APA | Data Center Census. (2026). xAI Colossus 2. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/xai-colossus-2-memphis-tn |
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| MLA | “xAI Colossus 2.” Data Center Census, Nov 5, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/xai-colossus-2-memphis-tn. |
| Link | https://datacentercensus.com/dc/xai-colossus-2-memphis-tn |
Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.