Musk Turns to In-House Turbine Blades as AI Power Push Raises Pollution Risks

AI data centers are turning electricity into a constraint as consequential as chip supply. The International Energy Agency expects global data-center power demand to roughly double by 2030, while GE Vernova says its gas-turbine capacity is effectively sold out through that year. The squeeze has pushed hyperscalers including Amazon, Google, Meta, OpenAI and Microsoft toward private gas-fired generation, allowing projects to bypass slow grid connections but locking in a source that emits smog-forming pollutants and hazardous chemicals.

On Aug. 29, Elon Musk confirmed on X that SpaceX is building a blades-and-vanes foundry in Bastrop, Texas, after acquiring about 830 acres near its Starlink factory from March through June. Musk said in-house casting could bring gas turbines online as much as 18 months sooner, even as SpaceX and Tesla pursue 100 gigawatts a year of solar-production capacity. The shortcut is drawing scrutiny: the NAACP has challenged turbine operations at SpaceXAI’s Memphis Colossus site, while a Virginia study estimated eight full-time turbines could cause 3.4 to 6.5 premature deaths and $53 million to $99 million in annual health damage.