4 data center projects in Memphis City
Who decides here: the City Council of Memphis City votes on zoning. The Shelby County may review big projects too.
In Memphis City
xAI Colossus supercomputer (former Electrolux plant)
Memphis, Shelby County
for xAI (Grok chatbot)
🕒 July 2, 2025: The Shelby County Health Department gave xAI an air permit for 15 gas turbines on Paul R…
Built & runningxAI Colossus 2 campus on Tulane Road (Whitehaven)
Memphis, Shelby County
79 acres · for xAI (Grok chatbot)
🕒 Jan 2026: Colossus 2 came online.
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Being built5C AI data center at former Fred's headquarters
Memphis, Shelby County
🕒 June 2026: Records showed 5C MEM01 LLC bought the property for $25 million.
Status unclearConnect Data Centers on South Mendenhall Road
Memphis, Shelby County
🕒 May 2023: Oppidan filed with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development fo…
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Local votes and rules
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
Memphis City Council is voting on a one-year pause on new data centers and AI or crypto computing sites. During the pause the city would not process rezonings, site plans or building permits for them. Existing data centers that do not expand are exempt. It passed the second of three votes unanimously on Sept. 1, 2026. The final vote was delayed twice; on Oct. 6 the council voted 7-5 to push it to Oct. 20, 2026.
⚖️ Court case
The Southern Environmental Law Center, for the NAACP and Young, Gifted & Green, appealed the Shelby County Health Department's air permit that lets xAI run 15 gas turbines at its South Memphis data center. They also object to how the department handled dozens of turbines that ran without a permit. We did not find a decision.
What you can do
- Get told first.
We'll email you if anything changes in Memphis City. - Go to council meetings.
Anyone can speak. Big projects usually need a public hearing. - Ask questions in writing.
Use our checklist.
🔔 Get told first
⚡ Your electric company
Depending on where you live in Memphis City: City of Memphis (run by the town) or City of West Memphis (run by the town).
Big data centers need a lot of power. Who pays for new power lines depends on state rules. See the rules in Tennessee.
🙋 Open tasks here
- How much water does the Colossus site use per day, and is the promised water recycling plant built?
- How many gas turbines are running on site today?
- What is the outcome of the legal challenges over the gas turbines?
- How many megawatts does Colossus 2 use from the Memphis grid?
- How much water will the Tulane Road campus use per day?
- Did xAI get any local tax breaks (PILOT) for Colossus 2?
- Are gas turbines being used on site, and do they have an air permit?
- Is the 5C data center already running?
- Will EDGE approve the 15-year tax break?
- Is the Mendenhall Road data center open, and who uses it?
- How many megawatts does it use?