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AI data centers turn to converted jet engines as grid waits stretch for years

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AI data centers turn to converted jet engines as grid waits stretch for years

Some AI data centers stuck in years-long queues for grid connections and new turbines are making their own electricity with converted jet engines, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, as relayed by TechCrunch. The engines are pulled from retired aircraft and rebuilt to burn natural gas. TechCrunch says they are not anyone's idea of a permanent power plant, but they show how far power supply has fallen behind the AI buildout.

The main appeal is speed. "It's all about getting power as fast as possible," Rystad Energy analyst Audun Martinsen told the Times, adding that with jet-powered units "they can have a data center running in 24 months." By comparison, the International Energy Agency says hooking up 100 megawatts to the grid in Northern Virginia takes about seven years. An executive at Mitsubishi Power, one of the world's top makers of power generation equipment, told Bloomberg last week that most power capacity is expected to come on by 2031.

The delays are already costing business. Last month Microsoft pulled out as the anchor customer for Nscale's data center in Loughton, England, after the local utility said it could not deliver enough power until the early to mid-2030s.

Elon Musk's xAI is among the companies already using the engines. Citing state permits and satellite imagery, the Times reported that xAI has installed eight converted jet-engine turbines in Mississippi to help power its Colossus 2 data center in Memphis. The units come from ProEnergy, which rebuilds a GE engine commonly found on Boeing jets.

In 2025, OpenAI followed Musk's lead with gas turbines at its first Stargate site in Abilene, Texas. Crusoe, a Denver-based startup that builds AI data centers, is constructing that campus and ordered 13 of ProEnergy's converted units in April. In September, Crusoe walked away from a $1.25 billion deal to buy 29 natural gas turbines from Boom Supersonic, a startup developing a supersonic passenger jet that has also begun selling a version of that jet's engine as a power plant for data centers. A Crusoe spokesperson told TechCrunch at the time that the company still plans to use turbines. TechCrunch adds that the Trump administration is adding to the pressure by encouraging data centers to generate their own electricity.

There are trade-offs. According to the Times, converted jet engines are less efficient and pollute more than turbines designed for conventional gas plants, and it takes more of them to make the same amount of power. TechCrunch says that may make them a short-term play, with some experts saying efficiency and environmental concerns may grow in importance in a year or two.

Key facts

  • The New York Times reported that some AI data centers waiting on grid connections and new turbines are generating power with retired jet engines rebuilt to burn natural gas.
  • Rystad Energy analyst Audun Martinsen says jet-powered units can have a data center running in 24 months; the IEA puts a 100 MW grid hookup in Northern Virginia at about seven years.
  • xAI has installed eight converted jet-engine turbines in Mississippi for Colossus 2 in Memphis, per the Times citing state permits and satellite imagery; Crusoe ordered 13 ProEnergy units in April for the Abilene Stargate campus.
  • Crusoe walked away in September from a $1.25 billion deal for 29 Boom Supersonic natural gas turbines, but says it still plans to use turbines.
  • The engines are less efficient and pollute more than conventional gas-plant turbines, and more of them are needed for the same output, so they may be a short-term play.

Why it matters

Power, not chips, is what holds up some AI data centers in this account. Grid hookups and new turbines are backed up for years: about seven years for 100 megawatts in Northern Virginia per the IEA, and a Mitsubishi Power executive expects most power capacity to arrive by 2031. The delays have a price already: Microsoft left as anchor customer of Nscale's Loughton data center after the utility pointed to the early to mid-2030s. Converted jet engines offer a way around the queue in about 24 months, which is why even an imperfect option is attractive.

Who it affects

Data center builders and AI labs first. xAI is using eight converted units in Mississippi for Colossus 2 in Memphis, and OpenAI's Stargate site in Abilene, Texas, is being built by Crusoe, which ordered 13 ProEnergy units. Suppliers such as ProEnergy and Boom Supersonic gain a new market. Communities near these sites are affected too, since the engines pollute more than conventional gas-plant turbines according to the Times.

How to use it

This is a report on an industry workaround, not a product to adopt. The practical lesson for operators in the source is the trade: converted jet engines get power running faster than waiting for the grid, at the cost of efficiency and emissions. Crusoe's reported path is to keep pursuing turbines in general even after dropping the Boom Supersonic deal. The source says the Trump administration is encouraging data centers to generate their own electricity.

How solid is it

The core claim is the Times' reporting, relayed by TechCrunch. The xAI detail rests on state permits and satellite imagery, as the Times described them. The 24-month figure is one analyst's statement, and the seven-year grid figure comes from the IEA. The Mitsubishi Power executive is not named. The source gives no power output (megawatts) for the xAI or Crusoe converted units, and no figures for the efficiency or emissions gap.

Risks and caveats

The engines are less efficient and pollute more than turbines built for conventional gas plants, and more of them are needed for the same power, according to the Times. TechCrunch says that may make them a short-term play, with some experts saying efficiency and environmental concerns may grow in importance in a year or two. The source does not say why Crusoe walked away from the Boom Supersonic deal, and it does not say what specific policy the Trump administration has adopted.

“It’s all about getting power as fast as possible.”

— Audun Martinsen, Rystad Energy analyst, to the New York Times