AI Data Centre Next Door Disrupts Veteran’s Life and Sparks Political Fight

Loretta Thornton, a Gulf War veteran, moved to a quiet area of Memphis, Tennessee, and called her house "Serenity". She lived there for 11 years after her military service.

Next to her home, Elon Musk’s company SpaceXAI built Colossus II, the largest operating data centre in the United States.

Thornton says the centre’s constant, airplane‑like noise and the fumes from dozens of gas turbines make her eyes and throat burn, and her electricity bill has doubled, ruining her quality of life.

Similar AI data‑centre projects are being built in many other states, turning the issue into a national political fight as the midterm elections approach.

President Donald Trump has publicly supported data‑centre development, arguing towns need them, while many local governments have placed moratoriums on new sites and lawsuits claim the centres were constructed without permits or public input.

The dispute shows how the rapid growth of AI infrastructure can directly affect residents’ health, finances, and become a contentious point in American politics.

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