MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Memphis Mayor Paul Young says construction of the xAI wastewater treatment facility will resume no later than the first quarter of 2027.
On Tuesday, Young posted an update on social media:
Had a productive meeting with SpaceXAI President Michael Nicolls on Monday. In the meeting they committed to resuming construction on the recycled wastewater treatment facility not later than Q1 2027. This facility will offset water usage from both SpaceXAI and TVA. Our engagement that led to this commitment will continue until the facility is complete.
xAI’s founder Elon Musk is optimistic construction will resume even earlier.
He said in a social media post that he thinks the project could pick back up in the last three months of 2026.
Actually, I think we can probably resume working on the wastewater treatment plant in Q4
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 23, 2026
In April, xAI announced it was pausing the development of a water recycling plant that would be used to cool its Memphis supercomputer in order to focus on other projects.
In the statement, xAI said it is “prioritizing other more immediate projects,” but stressed that plans to build the water plant have not changed.
On Tuesday, Memphis City Council members are expected to discuss updates on the graywater recycling facility.
Action News 5 will provide updates on this meeting.
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