Elon Musk's Colossus Supercomputer Runs at Full Power — It Consumes as Much Power as 300,000 Homes

The first phase of Elon Musk's xAI Memphis Supercluster project has reached full capacity — the AI supercomputer is ready to connect to the local substation and the main power grid. The site will receive 150 MW from operators Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the same amount from Tesla Megapack batteries, intended to serve as a backup power source in case of grid outages and during periods of high demand. 

• Elon Musk's AI cluster began operations last July with 100,000 Nvidia H100 accelerators; the equipment at the facility was installed in 19 days, although under normal conditions this would have taken four years, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said at the time.

• Due to the high speed of deployment, some workarounds were necessary — including launching the system without connecting to the power grid: gas turbine generators were installed at the site. Initially, it was reported that there were 14 units with a capacity of 2.5 MW each, but local residents spoke of more than 35 generators.

• The completion of the first phase of the project means that the supercomputer can now operate entirely on energy supplied by TVA, which is approximately 60% generated from renewable sources — including hydro, solar, wind, and nuclear power.

• This allowed xAI to shut down about half of the previously launched generators that were temporarily powering Colossus. However, the remaining generators will continue to operate until the launch of a second 150 MW substation, scheduled for this fall. The total capacity of the cluster will be 300 MW — enough to supply electricity to about 300,000 homes. TVA assured that they can meet their obligations without affecting other customers.

• The first 100,000 Nvidia H100 accelerators became operational in Colossus in July 2024, and their number increased to 200,000 in February, but Musk intends to eventually increase the number of accelerators to a million. The facility will require significantly more energy, and it is not yet clear whether TVA will be able to provide such volumes without disruptions for the local population.

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