Some AI data centers, facing prolonged delays in securing grid connections and new turbines, are resorting to generating their own electricity using repurposed jet engines, as reported by hinews. These engines, sourced from decommissioned aircraft and modified to operate on natural gas, do not represent a conventional solution for power generation. However, they highlight the significant lag in power supply relative to the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure. For companies grappling with these delays, the primary advantage of utilizing converted jet engines lies in their swift deployment. “It’s all about getting power as fast as possible,” stated Audun Martinsen, an analyst at Rystad Energy, in an interview with hinews. With jet-powered systems, “they can have a data center running in 24 months,” he noted. In contrast, connecting 100 megawatts to the grid in Northern Virginia typically requires approximately seven years, according to the International Energy Agency.
Most of the anticipated power capacity is projected to come online by 2031, as indicated by an executive from Mitsubishi Power, a leading manufacturer of power generation equipment, in a recent discussion with Bloomberg. These delays are already impacting some data center operators financially. For instance, Microsoft recently withdrew as the primary client for Nscale’s data center in Loughton, England, after the local utility informed them that sufficient power would not be available until the early to mid-2030s. Among the companies already utilizing these engines is Elon Musk’s xAI, which has installed eight converted jet-engine turbines in Mississippi to support its Colossus 2 data center in Memphis, according to state permits and satellite imagery cited by hinews. The turbines are sourced from ProEnergy, which refurbishes a GE engine commonly used in Boeing aircraft.
In 2025, OpenAI followed Musk’s example by implementing gas turbines at its inaugural Stargate site in Abilene, Texas. Crusoe, a startup based in Denver that specializes in constructing AI data centers, is developing the Abilene campus and placed an order for 13 of ProEnergy’s modified units in April. In September, Crusoe opted out of a $1.25 billion agreement to acquire 29 natural gas turbines from Boom Supersonic, a startup working on a supersonic passenger jet that has also begun marketing a variant of the jet’s engine as a power source for data centers. A spokesperson for Crusoe informed hinews at that time that the company still intends to utilize turbines.
Currently, the Trump administration is intensifying the pressure on data centers to produce their own electricity. However, converted jet engines come with certain drawbacks: they are less efficient and generate more pollution compared to turbines specifically designed for traditional gas plants, and a greater number of them are required to generate the same amount of power, as noted by hinews. This may ultimately render converted jet engines a temporary solution, with some experts suggesting that efficiency and environmental considerations may become increasingly significant in the coming years.
