DOJ claims xAI's unpermitted gas turbines are vital for national security
Tags AI · Infrastructure · Policy
The US Department of Justice is intervening to block a Clean Air Act lawsuit against xAI, arguing that Elon Musk's company must continue operating unpermitted gas turbines at its Mississippi data center because the Pentagon needs Grok for military operations. The NAACP sued xAI in April for operating 27 gas turbines without permits in Southaven, Mississippi — a number that has since grown to 57. The turbines power the Colossus 2 data center that trains and runs Grok.
Technical significance
The DOJ's intervention establishes a precedent where AI compute infrastructure can be deemed essential to national security, shielding it from environmental regulation. This could accelerate AI data center construction while creating legal conflicts between environmental groups and defense interests.