Memphis AI data center fuels pollution fight in Black neighborhood

The stench of rotten eggs and burning debris fills the air in Boxtown, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Memphis. Just a few miles away, a power plant fuels one of SpaceXAI’s data centers, which are popping up all over Tennessee.

Hastily built to meet skyrocketing demand for computing power required by the global artificial intelligence race, these data centers are facing opposition across the United States.

Teenager Jasmine Bernard, who lives in a neighborhood bordering Boxtown, has been fighting for two years against the gas turbines that power the data center and spew emissions into the air.