How Elon Musk Stopped Government Officials from Talking About xAI’s New Supercomputer

The world’s richest man has swiftly set up a massive data center for his AI company in Memphis, taking extensive steps to keep the project details under wraps. Nearly six months ago in Memphis, before residents or even city council members knew that Elon Musk was building “the world’s largest supercomputer” in their backyard, Musk’s team held secret meetings with various local and national law enforcement agencies, including the sheriff’s office, Memphis Police Department, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI.

The covert meeting, previously unreported, concerned Musk’s burgeoning AI startup, xAI, according to the Greater Memphis Chamber, an economic development group that had been managing the deal behind closed doors since March.

“I sincerely appreciate everyone’s time and commitment to this project. We are on the cusp of an incredible moment in Memphis history,” wrote Gwyn Fisher, the Chamber’s economic development director, in an email to the group. She offered a tour of Musk’s new facility, on one condition: that they sign non-disclosure agreements with an entity called CTC Property, a mysterious shell company controlled by Musk’s personal banker, Jared Birchall.