Data centers turn to converted jet engines for power as grid connections take years
AI data centers in the US that face years-long waits for grid connections are generating their own electricity with retired jet engines rebuilt to burn natural gas. The approach gets facilities running faster, but is less efficient and more polluting.
Artificial intelligence (AI) data centers stuck in years-long queues for grid connections and new turbines are increasingly making their own electricity, using engines taken from retired aircraft and rebuilt to burn natural gas. The New York Times reported this on Tuesday, November 3, and tech outlet TechCrunch summarized the findings. The trend shows how far power supply has fallen behind the AI buildout.
Speed is the main appeal
The chief advantage of converted engines is how fast they can be installed. Audun Martinsen, an analyst at the energy consultancy Rystad Energy, told the Times that a data center using such units can be running in 24 months. By comparison, the International Energy Agency says connecting 100 megawatts to the grid in Northern Virginia takes about seven years. An executive at Mitsubishi Power, one of the world's leading makers of power generation equipment, told Bloomberg that most new power capacity is expected to come online by 2031.
The delays are already costing deals. Last month, Microsoft pulled out as anchor customer for Nscale's data center in Loughton, England, after the local utility said it could not supply enough power until the early to mid-2030s.
Who is already using them
Elon Musk's xAI has installed eight converted jet-engine turbines in Mississippi to help power its Colossus 2 data center in Memphis, according to the Times, which cited state permits and satellite imagery. The units come from ProEnergy, which rebuilds a GE engine commonly found on Boeing jets. In 2025, OpenAI followed with gas turbines at its first Stargate site in Abilene, Texas. That campus is being built by Crusoe, a Denver-based startup that constructs AI data centers; it 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, though it said it still plans to use turbines.
The Trump administration is currently adding pressure by encouraging data centers to generate their own electricity.
Trade-offs
According to the Times, converted jet engines are less efficient and pollute more than turbines designed for conventional gas plants, and more of them are needed to produce the same amount of power. That may make them a short-term solution, with some experts saying efficiency and environmental concerns could grow in importance within a year or two.
