xAI converted eight GE CF6-80C2 engines, formerly used on Boeing 747 aircraft, into natural-gas-powered units supplying the Colossus 2 data center complex near Memphis. Each engine produces approximately 50 megawatts, giving the eight units a combined capacity of roughly 400 megawatts. The permits allow them to emit up to twice as much carbon monoxide as the site’s other turbines, along with 25 percent more volatile organic compounds. The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center have challenged the permits, while a separate case concerning temporary turbines remains in progress. The units are part of a planned permanent 1.2-gigawatt natural-gas plant with 41 turbines, intended to replace the dozens of mobile power units currently in use.
Source: Read the original article
