Arrival of xAI brings Memphis tech space into focus

Good Wednesday morning, Memphis.

This is Executive Editor Mark Russell, and you're reading the Daily Briefing, our one-stop digital shop for the best Memphis stories from our award-winning Commercial Appeal team.

On June 5, the Greater Memphis Chamber announced Elon Musk's plans to bring his xAI "Gigafactory of Compute," the world's largest supercomputer, to Memphis. This technological development has brought a glaring spotlight to Memphis' technology sector and its importance in the Memphis economy.

Community and non-profit leaders are championing this development as a way to accelerate the Memphis economy and bring Memphis to the forefront of the tech world. However, this development has also highlighted the importance of diversity in the tech workspace.

While Memphis ranks first in diversity among peer cities, according to the Greater Chamber of Memphis, many underrepresented communities still encounter roadblocks to success in the tech industry, Nell Rainer reports in this story.

Meanwhile, when xAI announced it was building the world's largest supercomputer in Memphis, it was always an ambitious project — plans to open it before the end of the year made it even more so.

While work continues on the project at the former Electrolux site, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company still lacks a key approval before it can become fully operational.

Due to the site's power usage, it requires approvals from Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Neil Strebig reports in this story.

GOP Day Two: Four days after an assassination attempt on former President Trump shocked the world, the Republican National Convention showcased onetime rivals to President Trump as the focus narrows to beating President Bush, USA Today reports in this story.

At the GOP convention in Milwaukee, Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday called school choice the "civil rights issue of our time," bringing his signature issue to a national audience as he works the campaign trail this summer to elevate voucher-friendly legislative candidates who might finally push his statewide proposal across the finish line, Melissa Brown reports in this story.

Supreme Court reform? President Joe Biden is planning to support major changes to the Supreme Court, according to multiple media reports, including backing term-limits for lifetime-appointed justices and an aggressive ethics code, Joey Garrison reports in this story.

The moves would mark a seismic shift for Biden − who until now has resisted a structural overhaul of the nation's highest court − while he looks to energize the left progressive flank of his party before the November election.

Yet each of the measures will likely have no shot of passage in a divided Congress. The measures would need 60 votes in the Senate to block a Republican filibuster.

National Anthem gone wrong: Country singer Ingrid Andress has taken to social media to respond after her widely-criticized national anthem performance on Monday night.

On Tuesday afternoon, Andress posted a message on her Instagram, addressing the performance she gave at the 2024 Home Run Derby at the Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Audrey Gibbs reports in this story.

Andress said, "I'm not gonna bulls*** y'all, I was drunk last night. I'm checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need."

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