The Trump administration is trying to help Elon Musk\u2019s xAI Corp. beat a Clean Air Act lawsuit filed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The US said the NAACP lawsuit threatens an xAI data center that powers Grok systems needed by the military.<\/p>\n
The NAACP sued<\/a> xAI and subsidiary MZX Tech in April, alleging that they violated the Clean Air Act by operating 27 gas turbines without an air permit in Southaven, Mississippi. The number of unpermitted turbines rose to 57 by mid-May and there were plans to install two more, the NAACP said in a June 12 filing<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDefendants\u2019 Colossus Gas Plant powers xAI\u2019s nearby Colossus 2 data center, which in turn powers the chatbot \u2018Grok,\u2019\u201d the lawsuit said. The gas turbines have fueled both health concerns and noise complaints<\/a>.<\/p>\n US Department of Justice lawyers urged a federal judge to dismiss the case in a filing<\/a> yesterday. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality determined that the turbines don\u2019t require permits, the US filing said.<\/p>\n The lawsuit \u201cthreaten[s] artificial-intelligence innovation, plus the energy needed to power it,\u201d the US filing said. \u201cThe NAACP\u2019s attempt to cut off the power that supports Grok also threatens national security because\u2026 Grok provides critical support for the Department of War\u2019s military operations.\u201d The US court filing said xAI\u2019s Grok Gov Model aided targeted strikes in Iran during Operation Epic Fury.<\/p>\n Grok was used with Maven Smart System to help US forces \u201cdeploy 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,\u201d according to a declaration<\/a> by Cameron Stanley, chief digital and artificial intelligence officer for the Department of War. The Grok Gov Model has unique features not found in any other AI model, he wrote.<\/p>\n US helping xAI break the law, group says<\/p>\n