Elon Musk's Giant Supercomputer: Powered by 150MW, Ready to Simultaneously Operate 100,000 GPUs

xAI's project to build this supercomputer facility was completed in record time, in just 19 days, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang - an incredible feat considering the standard construction time is usually up to four years.

Elon Musk's massive supercomputer project - also known as the "Gigafactory of Compute" or xAI Colossus - has just been approved by the Tennessee Power Authority (TVA) to supply 150MW from the state's grid in early November. With this supply, Musk will have enough power to operate 100,000 GPUs at the xAI facility at the same time, a huge jump from the initial supply of just 8MW. However, this decision has also caused many concerns from the local community about the ability to maintain the stability of the power supply as well as the potential impact on electricity prices in the Tennessee Valley area. According to a report from Power Grid International, Elon Musk also plans to double the computing capacity at xAI, which means that the energy demand will likely continue to increase significantly.

Some organizations still express concerns about the impact the project could have on the state's power supply.

xAI's supercomputer project was completed in a record 19 days, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang—a feat that would have taken four years to build. But when the facility opened in July, xAI had only 8MW of power and had to rely on large portable generators to meet its energy needs. By the summer, local utility Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) had upgraded the power station to 50MW, but that still wasn't enough to run all 100,000 GPUs at once.

At 150 MW, Musk's request is still considered 'conservative,' as experts predict xAI will actually need 155 MW to run its entire GPU system. Still, some organizations have expressed concerns about the impact the project could have on the state's power supply.

For its part, MLGW, the utility that distributes electricity to xAI, assured the Memphis City Council that xAI's electricity needs will not strain the grid or impact reliability for local customers. CEO Doug McGowen added that the additional 150 MW of power is still within MLGW's peak load forecast and that the utility can purchase additional power from TVA if needed.

With this approval, Elon Musk will officially have the "superpower " to operate his giant AI supercomputer. But experts warn that, as future AI models require huge amounts of electricity at the gigawatt level, local power grids will have a hard time meeting them without major upgrades. That's why many large technology corporations such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle have begun investing in nuclear energy sources to ensure future demand. However, it is expected to take at least 5 years to be deployed, and until then, data centers will still have to rely on existing infrastructure to operate.