AI firms eye jet engines for quicker power
Data center developers are turning retired aircraft jet engines into natural-gas generators to secure electricity faster than grid connections or conventional turbines allow. xAI has installed eight converted turbines in Mississippi, while environmentalists warn that the older equipment produces more pollution and faces a legal challenge.
The growing demand for electricity from artificial intelligence data centers is driving companies to repurpose retired aircraft engines as natural-gas power generators. xAI has installed eight converted turbines at a Mississippi data center, and ProEnergy, FTAI Aviation and Boom Supersonic are developing or supplying similar systems as operators seek to avoid yearslong grid interconnection delays. SpaceX has also acquired a mobile gas-turbine manufacturer as Elon Musk pursues additional power sources for AI operations.
The technology can provide electricity quickly but is less efficient and more polluting than conventional gas turbines. State permits allow xAI's generators to emit higher levels of carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds, prompting criticism from environmental attorney Patrick Anderson of the Southern Environmental Law Center. The Trump administration has supported rapid deployment of on-site data center power and intervened on xAI's side in an environmental lawsuit challenging its generators, while Google said it prefers grid-connected electricity.