Data centers are turning to old jet engines as the wait for power grows
AI data center operators are increasingly using converted jet engines to generate electricity due to long wait times for grid connections. Companies like xAI and OpenAI are deploying these natural gas turbines to bypass infrastructure delays and accelerate site deployment.
Why it matters
This trend highlights the massive energy demands of the AI boom and the growing strain on existing power grids, forcing tech companies to seek unconventional energy solutions.
Stuck in years-long lines for grid connections and new turbines, some AI data centers are making their own electricity with converted jet engines, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The engines, pulled from retired aircraft and rebuilt to burn natural gas, aren’t anyone’s idea of a permanent power plant. But they’re another sign of how far power supply has fallen behind the AI buildout.
For companies stuck in those lines, the main draw of converted jet engines is how quickly the engines can be up and running. “It’s all about getting power as fast as possible,” Rystad Energy analyst Audun Martinsen told the Times. With jet-powered units, “they can have a data center running in 24 months,” he said.
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