After serving in the US military during the Gulf War, veteran Loretta Thornton settled in a wooded home in Memphis, Tennessee.
asserted
Thornton → serve → Memphis
Living with post-traumatic stress disorder, she named her house 'Serenity' and spent 11 peaceful years there.
asserted
she → live → years
That peace ended when Elon Musk's technology company, xAI, built a huge computing facility in an abandoned warehouse next door.
asserted
company → end → warehouse
The site, known as Colossus II, is now the largest operating data centre in the United States.
asserted
site → know → States
Thornton says the constant noise and fumes have badly affected her quality of life, while rising local power demand has doubled her electricity bill.
asserted
demand → say → bill
"When they cranked this up, I thought I was back in Desert Storm," Thornton said.
asserted
Thornton → crank → Storm
"I thought I was stuck back in the middle of a war.
asserted
I → think → war
That's what it sounds like to me."
asserted
it → sound → me
In reporting for Australia's ABC News, journalist Bradley McLennan documented how the industrial site operates around the clock.
asserted
site → report → clock
Thornton describes a constant sound similar to jet engines and fumes from gas turbines that burn her eyes and throat.
asserted
that → describe → eyes
"I feel stomach-fold-up-sucker-punched, because I never thought anything like this would move in in my life," she said.
asserted
she → feel → life
Local backlash meets national political tension
asserted
backlash → meet → tension
The rapid expansion in Memphis reflects a wider US trend in which data centres are being built faster than local governments can update their rules.
asserted
governments → reflect → rules
With the American midterm elections approaching, the issue has become a major political flashpoint.
asserted
issue → approach → ?
President Donald Trump remains a strong supporter of data centre investment, warning that towns that reject them risk becoming "backward and poor".
asserted
that → remain → them
Speaking to cryptocurrency leaders at the White House, Trump urged local authorities to welcome the projects.
asserted
Trump → speak → projects
"If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state and I had a chance to get a big plant in, an AI plant or a data centre, I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous … and the taxes paid are enormous," Trump said.
asserted
Trump → have → it
However, several Republican candidates are breaking with the White House and siding with unhappy residents.
asserted
candidates → break → residents
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott issued a moratorium on new data centres.
asserted
Abbott → issue → centres
In Wisconsin, candidate Tom Tiffany called his opponent "Data Centre David Crowley".
asserted
Tiffany → call → opponent
A Republican Senate campaign memo from Ohio, reported by Axios, described the facilities as an anchor around candidate Jon Husted's neck, warning that political losses over the issue could have nationwide effects.
uncertain
losses → report → effects
An August poll by YouGov found that only 24 per cent of Americans believe building new data centres is good for the country.
asserted
building → find → country
More than 200 US jurisdictions have imposed moratoriums to slow new projects, while Memphis city councillors are considering a similar freeze.
asserted
councillors → impose → freeze
Along the Tennessee-Mississippi border, xAI operates or is building at least four large data centres.
asserted
xAI → operate → centres
Residents say weak regulations allowed the facilities to begin operating without public notice or votes by the city council.
asserted
facilities → say → council
Amber Sherman, who lives near xAI's Colossus I site, blames the facility for a respiratory illness.
asserted
who → live → illness
"Elon Musk has been here exploiting Memphis on purpose because there are no guardrails in place," Sherman said.
asserted
Musk → exploit → place
"I think that he sees Memphis as a sacrifice zone like a lot of people do.
asserted
lot → think → people
They see us as the path of least resistance and don't think that Memphians are going to fight back."
asserted
Memphians → see → resistance
KeShaun Pearson, who represents Memphis Community Against Pollution, told ABC News that technology companies are taking advantage of outdated zoning rules.
asserted
companies → represent → rules
"xAI and Elon Musk aren't the first perpetrators, they are just the newest ones, and they are moving at a velocity we have never seen," Pearson said.
asserted
Pearson → move → velocity
Water use has also caused anger.
asserted
use → cause → anger
In 2024, Musk promised to build an 80 million US dollar water recycling facility that would provide 10 million gallons of grey water each day for cooling, reducing pressure on the regional aquifer.
asserted
that → promise → aquifer
Two years later, construction remains largely stalled, with xAI moving the expected restart date to January 2027.
asserted
xAI → stall → January
Sarah Houston of the advocacy group Protect Our Aquifer said freedom of information requests showed that one xAI data centre uses at least 800,000 gallons of clean drinking water every day.
asserted
centre → say → water
"Until then it is a lot of words and a lot of empty promises," Houston said about the delayed recycling plant.
asserted
Houston → say → plant
Legal battles and reluctant acceptance
Environmental groups and local residents are taking legal action.
asserted
groups → take → action
The Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit claiming xAI installed dozens of gas turbines without permits.
asserted
xAI → file → permits
The turbines allegedly release smog-forming pollution, soot and formaldehyde.
uncertain
turbines → release → pollution
The City of Memphis carried out independent air tests near xAI facilities and found no dangerous levels of pollutants.
asserted
City → carry → pollutants
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
