Having difficulty securing enough grid power to fuel the energy-hungry data center, xAI brought in 35 portable gas turbines, and assembled them without environmental permits or pollution controls.
Looks like it’s not just cooling that they’re doing there. The link in the quote leads to an article describing the data centre’s new turbines, specifically referring to them as methane gas turbines.
I skimmed that article briefly and I don’t think it points out the mechanism by which these turbines work - if it does, I must’ve missed it. I did however see a line that said the turbines also release formaldehyde during operation.
Methane in this case seems to me to either be a byproduct of power generation or unused fuel somehow leaking from the system. I have no clue how gas turbines work, so I’m talking out of my ass here. In any case this seems to be the source of the methane emissions.
Direct quote from the article:
Looks like it’s not just cooling that they’re doing there. The link in the quote leads to an article describing the data centre’s new turbines, specifically referring to them as methane gas turbines.
I skimmed that article briefly and I don’t think it points out the mechanism by which these turbines work - if it does, I must’ve missed it. I did however see a line that said the turbines also release formaldehyde during operation.
Methane in this case seems to me to either be a byproduct of power generation or unused fuel somehow leaking from the system. I have no clue how gas turbines work, so I’m talking out of my ass here. In any case this seems to be the source of the methane emissions.