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🇦🇺 Australia /Technology

Loretta’s quiet retirement was shattered when Elon Musk built a data centre next door

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • Loretta Thornton says the Colossus II data centre next to her Memphis home produces constant noise, fumes and higher electricity bills.
  • Residents along the Tennessee-Mississippi border accuse SpaceXAI of expanding without adequate public consultation or regulatory oversight.
  • The spread of data centres has become a political issue in the United States, with some Republican candidates opposing facilities despite Donald Trump’s support for their development.

Loretta Thornton called her Memphis home Serenity because she believed she had found a peaceful place to retire. After 11 years there, the former Gulf War veteran says the arrival of Elon Musk’s xAI data centre shattered that quiet.

The facility, Colossus II, operates inside a converted warehouse and has become the largest data centre in the United States. Thornton says an aeroplane-like sound now drones from the site without stopping. Gas turbines release fumes that sometimes make her eyes and throat burn, and she says her power bill has doubled.

When they cranked this up, I thought I was back in Desert Storm. I thought I was stuck back in the middle of a war. That’s what it sounds like to me.

· Loretta ThorntonThornton compared the data centre’s noise to the sounds she experienced during the Gulf War.

“When they cranked this up, I thought I was back in Desert Storm,” Thornton said. “I thought I was stuck back in the middle of a war. That’s what it sounds like to me.” She also described the impact as a feeling of being “stomach-fold-up-sucker-punched” because she never expected such a facility to move into her neighbourhood.

I feel stomach-fold-up-sucker-punched, because I never thought anything like this would move in in my life.

· Loretta ThorntonThornton described the emotional impact of the facility’s arrival beside her home.

The Tennessee-Mississippi border has become a frontline in the dispute over the rapid expansion of artificial-intelligence infrastructure. SpaceXAI operates or is building at least four large centres along the state line. Residents say the projects moved forward under weak regulations, without public consultation or a council vote, while communities face noise, pollution and sharply higher electricity costs.

Amber Sherman, who lives near Colossus I, blames the centre for a respiratory illness. “Elon Musk has been here exploiting Memphis on purpose because there are no guardrails in place,” she said. “I think that he sees Memphis as a sacrifice zone like a lot of people do. They see us as the path of least resistance and don’t think that Memphians are going to fight back.”

Elon Musk has been here exploiting Memphis on purpose because there are no guardrails in place.

· Amber ShermanSherman accused xAI of taking advantage of weak local regulation.

The conflict has spread into national politics ahead of the midterm elections. Donald Trump supports data-centre development and says every American town should want one or risk becoming “backwards and poor”. Republican candidates in some districts are breaking with him, concerned that local anger could benefit Democrats.

I think that he sees Memphis as a sacrifice zone like a lot of people do. They see us as the path of least resistance and don’t think that Memphians are going to fight back.

· Amber ShermanSherman described residents’ concerns about pollution and the lack of local safeguards.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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