This supercomputer facility project by xAI was completed in a record time of just 19 days, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang – an astonishing feat considering the standard construction time usually extends up to four years.
Elon Musk’s Massive Supercomputer Project – also known as “Gigafactory of Compute” or xAI Colossus – has recently received approval from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to provide 150MW from the state’s power grid as of early November. With this supply, Musk will have enough energy to operate 100,000 GPUs simultaneously at xAI’s facility, a significant leap from the initial supply of only 8MW. However, this decision has raised concerns in the local community regarding the stability of the power supply and the potential impact on electricity prices in the Tennessee Valley. According to a report from Power Grid International, Elon Musk also plans to double the computing power at xAI, which means energy demand may continue to rise significantly.
Some organizations still express concerns about the impact this project could have on the state’s power supply.
The construction of this supercomputer facility by xAI was completed in a record time of just 19 days, as stated by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang – an incredible achievement given that the standard construction time usually takes up to four years. However, when operations began in July, xAI only had an 8MW supply and had to rely on large mobile generators to meet energy demands. By summer, the local utility company Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) upgraded the power station to 50MW, but this was still insufficient to run all 100,000 GPUs simultaneously.
With the 150MW figure, Musk’s requirements are still considered “moderate,” as experts predict that xAI actually needs about 155MW to fully operate its GPU system. Nevertheless, some organizations remain concerned about the potential impact of this project on the state’s power supply.
On the part of MLGW, the utility company supplying electricity to xAI has reassured the Memphis City Council that xAI’s electricity demand will not strain the power grid or affect stability for local customers. CEO Doug McGowen added that the additional 150MW is still within MLGW’s peak load forecast, and the company can purchase more from TVA if necessary.
With this approval, Elon Musk will officially possess the “superpower” to operate his massive AI supercomputer. However, experts warn that as future AI models require enormous amounts of electricity at the gigawatt level, the local power grid may struggle to meet these demands without large-scale upgrades. This is why many major tech corporations such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle have started investing in nuclear energy sources to ensure future demand. However, it is expected to take at least another five years to implement, and by that time, data centers will still have to rely on existing infrastructure to operate.