DecisionUSMemphis, TennesseeShelby County, Tennessee
Memphis council delays its data-centre moratorium vote to 20 Oct; the mayor orders a 90-day study, not a pause
Memphis City Council narrowly voted on 6 Oct to put off its final vote on a moratorium on new data centres until 20 Oct, after protests halted the meeting (WMC/Gray News; Commercial Appeal). On 9 Oct Mayor Paul Young issued an executive order for a 90-day study recommending rules for hyperscale data centres on land use, neighbourhood protections, air quality and energy and utility costs, with at least three public sessions; it does not impose a moratorium (Commercial Appeal). The Shelby County Commission is to take a first vote on a moratorium of its own (Daily Memphian, 11 Oct; date not given). xAI's Colossus sites are in the Memphis area.
Why it matters. Memphis is home to xAI's Colossus 1, in our US campus table. The 20 Oct vote shows whether local opposition can slow growth at an established AI cluster, not only stop new sites.
Our data addsOur US campus table lists xAI Colossus 1 (Memphis, 247 MW of permitted turbines, Shelby County Health Department, Jul 2025) and the Colossus 2 plant at Southaven, Mississippi (1,200 MW). /us/power-crunch →
Sources: WMC / Gray News (via WSMV), 7 October 2026 · The Commercial Appeal, 9 October 2026 · Daily Memphian, 11 October 2026
Next, 20 October 2026: Memphis City Council final vote on the moratorium