xAI installs 19 more gas turbines at Colossus 2, taking the Southaven site to 46 units
Records obtained by the Southern Environmental Law Center show xAI added 19 portable gas turbines to its Colossus 2 campus in Southaven, Mississippi between late March and early May 2026 — 46 units in total against a permit for 41, with more than 500 MW of capacity.
In March 2026 xAI secured permission to install 41 natural-gas turbines at its second data centre campus, on Tulane Road in Southaven, Mississippi, to power the Colossus 2 cluster. Within two months, records reviewed by the Southern Environmental Law Center showed 19 further turbines had arrived, bringing the site to 46 gas units and apparently beyond the permitted count.
Reports put the 19 new turbines alone at more than 500 MW of generating capacity. Elon Musk has said the cluster — now part of SpaceXAI — will eventually have access to 2 GW of compute power, with gas turbines "key" to supplying it.
The pattern mirrors Colossus 1 in Memphis, where aerial imagery counted 35 turbines against a permit for 15 in 2025, prompting a Clean Air Act notice of intent to sue and permit appeals by the NAACP and local groups.
Why it matters for the index: on-site fossil generation for primary power is the single largest deduction in the carbon pillar, and exceeding permits is the single largest deduction in conduct. xAI now carries both at two sites.
Sources
- 1.xAI deploys 19 natural gas turbines at Colossus 2 data center in Southaven, Mississippi — report (46 units on site)Data Center Dynamics · May 14, 2026
- 2.In South Memphis, Elon Musk's Colossus operated gas turbines without appropriate permits, residents and activists claimInside Climate News · Jul 17, 2025
- 3.NAACP, others appeal xAI turbine permits for Memphis data centerTennessee Lookout · Jul 30, 2025
