GoKawiilIf a federal court decides to shutter a data center in Memphis, Tennessee, it "directly threatens" the US government's ability to protect our national security, according to the Trump administration's chief digital and artificial intelligence officer.
The case began in April when the NAACP filed a class action lawsuit against xAI, Elon Musk's AI company. The complaint alleges that xAI's Colossus 2 data center violates the Clean Air Act. The data center includes a power plant in Mississippi with 27 gas turbines. Those turbines, which the nation's oldest civil rights organization says are operating without the necessary federal permits, can produce significant pollution, which poses serious health risks for nearby Black communities in Tennessee and Mississippi.
The US government filed a motion on June 15, encouraging the court to dismiss the case. The Memphis data center powers xAI's ability to provide AI to its customers, one of which the US government, Cameron Stanley, the Department of Defense's chief digital and artificial intelligence officer, wrote in the filing.
xAI's data center operation in Memphis, Tennessee. Steve Jones/Southern Environmental Law Center
The US government uses a specifically created, government version of Grok, called Grok Gov Model. That AI tech is integrated into the Maven Smart System, an AI-powered military system created by mega-defense contractor Palantir and used by the US and NATO. The Maven system is used in "targeting, intelligence, readiness and recruitment," Stanley wrote.
While the defense department has struck deals with eight major AI companies, Grok is one of three AI enterprise providers that are "equipped to sustain mission-critical operations" for secret and top secret missions. Grok has features that other frontier AI models do not, Stanley wrote. For this reason, the government says, Grok AI is essential for national security.
Stanley cited Grok's prowess in Operation Epic Fury, the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran that began in February. US defense systems that have integrated Grok AI "enabled US forces to deploy over 2,000 munitions to 2,000 distinct targets within 96 hours during Operation Epic Fury, a testament to the greatly increased operational efficiency made possible by the Grok Gov Model," Stanley wrote.
Stanley doesn't clarify how exactly Grok was used during Operation Epic Fury, and the Department of Defense declined to comment. xAI did not respond to requests for more information on how its Grok Gov Model works.
Community backlash against the rising flood of data centers has been swift and fierce, but this new development in the NAACP's case raises a new question: If AI is used in warfare, are data centers essential for national security?
AI is already being used in the military and defense industries. The Defense Department's chief technology officer said in May that AI use in the agency was up 1,775% over the previous year; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement in January that the US will "become an 'AI-first' warfighting force across all domains."
... continue reading