SpaceX to remove unpermitted turbines from Mississippi xAI data center by July 2027

SpaceX, which acquired the artificial‑intelligence firm xAI in February 2026, said it will begin removing the 69 unpermitted gas turbines that currently power the xAI data center near Memphis, Tennessee, in August 2026. The removal is scheduled to be completed by July 2027, when a new 1.2‑gigawatt gas‑powered plant, built under a Clean Air Act permit, will replace the temporary units.

The turbines have been the subject of a lawsuit filed by the NAACP, which alleges violations of the Clean Air Act and exposure of nearby residents to hazardous pollutants such as nitrogen oxides. The U.S. Justice Department has sought to dismiss the case, but the litigation remains active. SpaceX maintains that local air‑quality measurements continue to meet EPA standards. The company also announced new data‑center capacity agreements with Anthropic and Google as it expands its AI infrastructure.