Colossus

xAI · Memphis (Boxtown), Tennessee

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The resource footprint

Modelled average

In one day, this campus consumes about

4.650-metre swimming pools

Filled with the volume of water consumed by the campus and its electricity supply.

The actual estimate3,038,111 US gallons consumed

50-metre pools · 2 metres deep

Each diagram = 1 pool. Partial shading shows the remainder.

At the campus1,000,354 galMaking its electricity2,037,757 gal

Power-plant water may come from a different watershed. This is a volume comparison, not a claim that households lose this water.

At current operating capacity · Annual model spread evenly over time, not a live meter. Site estimates may differ by roughly ±40%.

Comparison sizes & sources

One pool = 50 × 25 × 2 metres = 2.5 million litres (about 660,430 US gallons). Pool depths vary; this is a defined comparison size.

One home-year = 10,791 kWh, the EIA’s 2022 average US residential electricity purchases. This excludes electricity generated at home and is a fixed US benchmark for all sites.

One car-year = 4.6 tonnes CO₂, the EPA’s typical passenger vehicle tailpipe estimate. The campus model is in CO₂e; the comparison expresses approximate climate scale, not equal mixtures of pollutants.

Monthly values are annual totals ÷ 12; daily values are annual totals ÷ 365. Actual demand varies. Comparisons cover the whole campus, including non-AI uses.

Water: see the numbers and sources

This is water used up, mainly through evaporation. Power-generation water may be used in a different watershed.

Total water use1,109M gal/yr

Evaporated on site365M gal

Making the power744M gal

Household comparison13,861homes, at 80,000 gal/year

Pressure on local water: Low-Medium — a regional measure of demand compared with available water
Where the water comes from: Reclaimed / recycled water
Cooling: Liquid-to-chip + evaporative assist; on-site greywater plant
Basis: Fitted to a published figure of 365 million gallons a year
Claimed vs observed: Protect Our Aquifer: ~1.3 million gallons a day from the Memphis Sand aquifer. The model is fitted to a published 365 million gallons a year.

Air: see the numbers and sources

The totals include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and fine particles. They cover both this site and the power plants supplying it.

Nitrogen oxides548t/yr

Sulphur dioxide305t/yr

Fine particulates53.2t PM2.5

Health (EPA)$46.8M/yr

Health range: $16.5–46.8 million a year. Lower bound is EASIUR national mid-range; upper is EPA benefit-per-ton at a ~$12M VSL.
Statistical deaths: 3.90 a year at that VSL — a national-average conversion from tons, not a local concentration study.
Equals: 684,974 cars of NOx
Where it burns: TVA — Tennessee Valley + 35% turbines on the site itself
Generation mix: Nuclear 41 · Gas 27 · Coal 13 · Hydro 10
Emitted at the fence line: 43% of this site's criteria pollution
Diesel backup: The air story here is methane turbines, not diesel. Fifteen SMT-130 units are permitted; up to 35 ran unpermitted.
Air permit: 87.0 t/yr NOx enforced cap — 13.0 tons under the 100-ton Title V major-source line
Turbines: 15 permitted, 35 observed on site
CO₂e: 814 kt/yr — climate, not air quality

The project, approvals and community concerns

Who asked for it: xAI — self-build, anchored on its own Grok models
Who approved it: Memphis Light, Gas & Water load agreement + TVA supply; Shelby County Health Department air permits issued 2025 for 15 turbines after ~35 ran unpermitted
What it serves: Grok training and serving; overflow capacity for Tesla autonomy models
IT capacity: 250 MW current capacity / 500 MW full-build scenario

Stood up in 122 days inside a shuttered Electrolux plant. The NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center sued over methane turbines operating without Clean Air Act permits in Boxtown, a majority-Black neighborhood with elevated asthma rates. xAI later funded an $80M greywater recycling facility.

on-site gas turbinesin litigationenvironmental-justice case

Keep this guide handy

35.0757°, -90.1268°

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Quote or share these estimates

Gigawatt Ledger (2026). Colossus: water and air. https://gigawatt-ledger.pages.dev/site/colossus/. Modelled from disclosed capacity; site-level error ±40%.

Include the estimate’s date, whether it describes current or proposed capacity, and its uncertainty. Get an embeddable card.

Gigawatt Ledger · September 2026. Water and air figures are estimated from public records and disclosed capacity. How we calculate them · Use this in your community.