Data centers in Tennessee

12 data centers and projects on our map in Tennessee, including 5 projects we track in detail. Each one links to its source. Below: where they are by county, the projects in the news, and the latest reporting from both sides.

8existing and up and running 1under construction 2proposed 1blocked, paused or withdrawn

See Tennessee on the map. Existing facilities come from OpenStreetMap, a community-maintained public map that is incomplete; proposed, under construction and blocked projects are tracked one by one from news, filings and official records.

Projects in the news

Blocked, paused or withdrawn Metro Council passed a permit moratorium through December 1, 2026 and banned data centers larger than 500,000 square feet, July 2026

Nashville Data Center Moratorium and Size Cap

Nashville, Davidson County

Nashville adopted its first data center regulations along with a temporary pause on new permits in Davidson County. The votes followed weeks of public pressure, including opposition to a proposed facility next to the Nashville Zoo.

Issues raised: zoning, power, water, noise, opposition

Source: Nashville Banner, 2026-07-21 · On the map

Proposed Final vote postponed to 2026-10-20 after a 7 to 5 delay vote

Memphis Data Center Moratorium

Memphis, Shelby

announced 2026-10-07

Memphis's council voted 7 to 5 to delay its third reading of a 12 month data center moratorium to October 20, 2026, after a meeting that broke down into shouting, protest and a fistfight. The ordinance would pause approvals while the city studies health, power and water impacts; xAI's Colossus facilities drove the opposition.

Issues raised: power, water, air-pollution, noise, opposition

Source: WSMV, 2026-10-07 · On the map

Proposed First reading passed 5-4-4 on October 12, 2026, further readings required

Shelby County Data Center Moratorium

Memphis, Shelby

announced 2026-10-12

Shelby County commissioners passed the first reading of a proposed 12-month pause on data center development in unincorporated parts of the county. The measure sits alongside a separate Memphis city moratorium that returns for its third reading on October 20.

Issues raised: power, water, noise, opposition, zoning

Source: Action News 5, 2026-10-13 · On the map

Under construction First GPU hall running while build out continues

Colossus 2

Memphis, Shelby County · Operator: xAI

announced 2025-02

xAI's second Memphis area supercomputer campus, with an associated turbine fleet across the Tennessee and Mississippi line supplying power. The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center sued over gas turbines operated without federal air permits near homes and a school.

Issues raised: air-pollution, power, water, opposition, noise

Source: Southern Environmental Law Center · On the map

Operating Operating with active air permit litigation

xAI Colossus

Memphis, Shelby County · Operator: xAI

xAI built its Colossus supercomputer in a former factory in south Memphis starting in 2024 and powered it in part with on site methane gas turbines. The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center sued in 2026, alleging the site ran more turbines than its permit allowed and exposed nearby majority Black neighborhoods to additional smog forming and hazardous air pollution.

Issues raised: air-pollution, power, water, opposition, jobs

Source: CNBC, 2026-04-14 · On the map

By county

Shelby 2 on the map
Memphis Data Center Moratorium, Shelby County Data Center Moratorium
Shelby County 2 on the map
xAI Colossus, Colossus 2
Davidson County 1 on the map
Nashville Data Center Moratorium and Size Cap

Latest news from Tennessee

Supports the case against local October 13, 2026

Shelby County Commission passes first reading of 12-month data center moratorium

Shelby County commissioners on October 12 narrowly advanced the first reading of a proposed 12-month pause on data center development in unincorporated parts of the county, by a 5-4-4 vote with four members abstaining. The county measure runs parallel to a separate Memphis city moratorium that returns for a third reading on October 20.

Action News 5 Local opposition and consent Siting, zoning and standards

Check it: A first reading is not a final adoption; wait for the second and third readings before treating the Shelby County pause as in effect.

Supports the case against local October 6, 2026

Memphis Council vote on data center moratorium postponed to Oct. 20 after fight breaks out at meeting

The Memphis City Council halted its third and final reading of a proposed data center moratorium after protesters and council members clashed and a fistfight broke out in the lobby. The ordinance, which would pause new data center approvals while the city writes zoning rules, is now scheduled for Oct. 20. Opposition has focused on xAI's Colossus facility and its gas turbines in a predominantly Black neighborhood.

WSMV Local opposition and consent Siting, zoning and standards Air quality and on-site power

Check it: The moratorium is a pause, not a ban, and Memphis council has postponed this vote multiple times already; watch whether the Oct. 20 vote actually produces an ordinance or another delay.

Supports the case against local October 2, 2026

Memphis City Council faces third and final reading of data center moratorium

The Memphis City Council is scheduled to take the third reading of a temporary moratorium on data center development on October 6, following a September delay. The ordinance would pause new approvals while the city writes zoning rules specific to hyperscale and high density computing facilities, and supporters plan a pre meeting rally targeting Elon Musk's xAI Colossus site.

Hoodline Siting, zoning and standards Local opposition and consent Air quality and on-site power

Check it: A third reading is scheduled but can be delayed again; readers should check whether the vote actually happens on October 6.

Supports the case against legal September 17, 2026

Residents file class action lawsuit against xAI over noise

Neighbors of xAI's Colossus site in Memphis filed a class action alleging that a bank of about 60 jet-engine-derived gas turbines produces a constant hum that has exceeded 70 decibels and has harmed their health and property values. xAI told local officials in July it would replace the turbines within a year with quieter permanent units.

WKNO / NPR Noise, appearance and rural character Air quality and on-site power Local opposition and consent

Check it: Read the complaint to see what decibel measurements plaintiffs are citing and whether xAI's promised turbine replacement is on the record with regulators.

Weighing it up

For the arguments behind these fights, see the case for data centers, the case against, and the questions people ask, each answered from both sides.