AI data center sites in Tennessee
84 Tennessee counties scored on transmission, the interconnection queue, power price and tax. Updated October 18, 2026.
Open a county for its queue requests, substations, plants and data centers.
| County | Score | Pipeline | Power price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | 16 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 75 | 1.6 GW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 70 | 1.8 GW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 61 | 66 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 61 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 59 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 58 | 134 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 56 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 55 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 54 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 53 | 42 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 53 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 51 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 51 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 51 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 50 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 49 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 48 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 48 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 48 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 47 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 47 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 38 | 110 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 38 | 55 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 38 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 38 | 50 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 38 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 37 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 37 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 37 | 50 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 37 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 37 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | 23 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | 20 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 35 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 35 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 35 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 35 | 3 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 35 | 200 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 35 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 35 | - | 6.8¢/kWh |
Pipeline: active generation and storage requests in the ISO queue, or EIA planned plants where larger (outside the ISOs). Top kV: highest substation voltage. Power price: the state's industrial average. DCs: GPU colocation, mining sites and AI campuses.
What the data shows
The strongest Tennessee counties for a large AI load are Shelby County (75), Stewart County (75) and Roane County (70) on the site score. Tennessee sits in utility territory; its ISO queues hold 156 MW of active generation and storage requests, and it has 30 substations at 345 kV and up.
Industrial power averaged 6.8¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026 YTD), against 6.9¢/kWh a year earlier, the 6th lowest of the 50 states and DC. Tennessee has a data center sales and use tax exemption in force. We track 3 AI campuses and 7 GPU-ready colocation facilities here.
Top 6 counties in detail
1. Shelby CountyUtility: Tennessee Valley Authority
Site score 75 of 100
- Transmission
- 21/25
- Generation pipeline
- 2/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 12/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 10/10
- Data center activity
- 10/10
- Market
- Utility: Tennessee Valley Authority
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 16 MW
- Top substation
- 500 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 3
- Operating plants
- 1.6 GW
- Retired or retiring
- 502 MW
- Industrial power, TN
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- Yes
Substations, 115 kV and up
- CORDOVA · 20 lines500 kV
- FREEPORT · 15 lines500 kV
- SHELBY · 11 lines500 kV
- NORTHEAST GATE · 14 lines161 kV
- SOUTHEAST GATE · 14 lines161 kV
- ALLEN · 11 lines161 kV
- SOUTHGATE · 10 lines161 kV
- NORTH PRIMARY · 6 lines161 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- Allen · Gas, retired 2025502 MW
Data centers, AI campuses and mining sites
- xAI Colossus 1 · AI campus, operating, 300 MW · DCD
- xAI Colossus 2 (Tulane Road) · AI campus, operating · SemiAnalysis
- 5C Data Centers MEM01 · GPU colocation, Memphis, 20 MW
- Merkle Standard, Memphis · mining site
Colocation from our GPU colocation list; mining sites from the miner AI conversion tracker.
2. Stewart CountyUtility: Tennessee Valley Authority
Site score 75 of 100
- Transmission
- 17/25
- Generation pipeline
- 13/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 15/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 10/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: Tennessee Valley Authority
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 1.6 GW
- Top substation
- 500 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 1
- Operating plants
- 2.6 GW
- Retired or retiring
- 1.3 GW
- Industrial power, TN
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- Yes
Substations, 115 kV and up
- CUMBERLAND 500KV · 7 lines500 kV
- DOVER · 2 lines161 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- Cumberland (TN) · Gas, planned 20291.6 GW
- Cumberland (TN) · Coal, retiring 20281.3 GW
3. Roane CountyUtility: Tennessee Valley Authority
Site score 70 of 100
- Transmission
- 17/25
- Generation pipeline
- 9/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 14/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 10/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: Tennessee Valley Authority
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 1.8 GW
- Top substation
- 500 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 1
- Operating plants
- 1.7 GW
- Retired or retiring
- 1.1 GW
- Industrial power, TN
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- Yes
Substations, 115 kV and up
- Unnamed · 9 lines500 kV
- KINGSTON · 12 lines161 kV
- KINGSTON · 7 lines161 kV
- KINGSTON · 5 lines161 kV
- ROCKWOOD · 4 lines161 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines161 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines161 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines161 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- Kingston · Gas, planned 20271.8 GW
- Kingston · Coal, retiring 20271.1 GW
4. Haywood CountyUtility: Tennessee Valley Authority
Site score 61 of 100
- Transmission
- 19/25
- Generation pipeline
- 3/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 9/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 10/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: Tennessee Valley Authority
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 66 MW
- Top substation
- 500 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 2
- Operating plants
- 2.1 GW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, TN
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- Yes
Substations, 115 kV and up
- LAGOON CREEK · 4 lines500 kV
- BROWNSVILLE · 2 lines500 kV
- BROWNSVILLE INDL.PK. · 5 lines161 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines161 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines161 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- SR Durhamville · Solar, planned 202766 MW
5. Humphreys CountyUtility: Tennessee Valley Authority
Site score 61 of 100
- Transmission
- 17/25
- Generation pipeline
- 0/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 14/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 10/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: Tennessee Valley Authority
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 0 MW
- Top substation
- 500 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 1
- Operating plants
- 1.7 GW
- Retired or retiring
- 1.1 GW
- Industrial power, TN
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- Yes
Substations, 115 kV and up
- JOHNSONVILLE · 8 lines500 kV
- JOHNSONVILLE · 14 lines161 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines161 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines161 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- Johnsonville · Gas, retiring 2028680 MW
- Johnsonville · Gas, retired 2025408 MW
6. Hamilton CountyUtility: Tennessee Valley Authority
Site score 59 of 100
- Transmission
- 19/25
- Generation pipeline
- 0/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 9/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 10/10
- Data center activity
- 1/10
- Market
- Utility: Tennessee Valley Authority
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 0 MW
- Top substation
- 500 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 2
- Operating plants
- 4.3 GW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, TN
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- Yes
Substations, 115 kV and up
- SEQUOYAH · 13 lines500 kV
- CONCORD · 6 lines230 kV
- MOCCASIN · 9 lines161 kV
- CHATTANOOGA PSCC · 6 lines161 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines161 kV
- CUMMINGS · 2 lines161 kV
- APISON PIKE · 2 lines161 kV
- HAWTHORNE · 2 lines161 kV
Data centers, AI campuses and mining sites
- DC BLOX Chattanooga (CHA1) · GPU colocation, Chattanooga, 1 MW
Colocation from our GPU colocation list; mining sites from the miner AI conversion tracker.
Data center tax exemption in Tennessee
Tennessee qualified data center sales and use tax exemption (Tenn. Code Ann. 67-6-206)
Computers, networks, software, related repair and maintenance, backup power infrastructure and cooling equipment used in a qualified data center are exempt, and electricity is taxed at a reduced 1.5% state rate, where the data center invests more than $100 million and creates at least 15 net new full-time jobs paying at least 150% of the state average occupational wage within a three-year period; no sunset date is stated on the application.
Recent change: September 8, 2026: Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) said she will file a bill for the 2027 session to pause new data center exemptions for three years and require annual cost reporting; the state reports 25 active data center exemption certificates. Current law is unchanged.
Source: Tennessee Department of Revenue, 2017-02. General information, not tax advice; ask your tax advisor.
AI data centers being built in Tennessee
| Campus | Developer | County | MW | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xAI Colossus 1Users: xAI, Anthropic | xAI (SpaceX) | Shelby County | 300 | operatingGrid + on-site power | DCDNov 2024 |
| Meta Gallatin (tent expansion)Users: Meta | Meta | Sumner County | - | under construction | DCDOct 2025 |
| xAI Colossus 2 (Tulane Road)Users: xAI, Anthropic, Google | xAI (SpaceX) | Shelby County | - | operatingOn-site power | SemiAnalysisSep 2025 |
How the score works
Six parts out of 100: transmission (25), generation in the queue (20), the state's industrial power price (20), existing and retiring plants (15), sales tax exemption (10) and data center activity (10). The site finder's methodology prints each formula and every source with its date. Markets: Utility territory (no ISO/RTO).
All states
- US site finder
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Discuss a transaction
Funding a data center or the GPUs going into one in Tennessee? Tell us about the site and the capital you need, and we will come back with the lenders and the structure that fit. Operators raising debt for a cluster can start at gpulenders.com.
Prefer email? hello@amcompute.com