According to a report by The Guardian on October 28th, XAI, an artificial intelligence company owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, is purchasing residential properties in Saulsheaven, Mississippi. The condition is that the homeowners do not participate in lawsuits related to noise issues at the company's power plants.
The incident stems from xAI’s large-scale construction of artificial intelligence data centers in the area. Over the past two years, xAI has established three large data centers in Saulshaven and nearby Memphis, Tennessee. Additionally, they installed 69 temporary gas turbines at a power plant owned by Duke Energy to supply power to the data centers.
However, the continuous noise generated by these gas turbines is unbearable for the nearby residents.
Piano teacher Elizabeth Ross said that the sound emitted by the power plant is like that of airplane engines, and it continues non-stop. She has been awakened by the noise at two or three in the morning on several occasions.
Another resident, Jason Hilly, said that a gas turbine about 800 meters away from his house continuously emitted sharp buzzing and roaring sounds, making it difficult for him to sleep and even forcing him to leave his home.
In June this year, three residents including Haley filed a lawsuit, claiming that xAI Power Plant causes continuous noise and vibration, which disrupts the peace of the community.
Facing residents' dissatisfaction, xAI denied the allegations on one hand, stating that it had adjusted its power generation capacity and built soundproof walls. On the other hand, its subsidiary MZX, which operates power plants, began offering residential acquisitions to nearby residents.
According to the letter sent by MZX to residents, the company needs to acquire nearby properties for business purposes, but the contract requires that the property owners must not join the class-action lawsuit initiated by Hailie.
According to a recording obtained by The Guardian, a real estate agent revealed that the company plans to acquire 418 residential properties in the area, and 18 homeowners have agreed to sell. Local real estate records show that since October 9th, MZX has already completed the acquisition of 5 residential properties. xAI has not yet confirmed the details of these acquisitions.
Some residents refuse to sell their properties, questioning why such facilities are built in cities, and why they are forced to leave their homes.
Shawsville Mayor Len Muserwhite said that one of the reasons for acquiring the residences is to provide housing for some company employees, and it also serves as a gesture of goodwill from the company towards residents affected by industrial development. He also noted that local monitoring has found no power plant noise exceeding the local limit of 70 decibels.
Additionally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency previously determined that some of XAI’s gas turbines were operating without obtaining the necessary permits. In July this year, XAI reached an agreement with state regulators to convert its power plants into permanent gas-fired facilities by next summer, in order to reduce noise pollution.
