Elon Musk's xAI has expanded its Mississippi data center by adding 19 natural gas turbines to its Southhaven site, bringing the total to 46 portable generators. This expansion comes amid an ongoing lawsuit alleging the company operates unpermitted methane gas generators to power its Grok AI training facility. The turbines were installed between March 25 and May 6.

The generators qualify as "mobile" under regulations, allowing xAI to operate them for up to one year without an air permit despite public health concerns. Last summer, xAI received a permit for its original Colossus site in Memphis' largely Black Boxtown community, but the NAACP filed suit last month claiming violations of the Clean Air Act through the company's "reckless, unlawful actions."

Mississippi regulators cannot measure emissions without permits, making the lawsuit's success dependent on convincing authorities that the turbines should be classified as stationary. Ben Grillot of the Southern Environmental Law Center criticized xAI's operations as "an insult to families" who have expressed health concerns. The legal battle centers on whether these generators can continue operating without proper environmental oversight.