Data centers turn to converted jet engines as grid waits grow

Some AI data centers are generating their own electricity with converted jet engines as operators face years-long waits for grid connections and new turbines, according to the New York Times.

The engines, taken from retired aircraft and rebuilt to burn natural gas, can be brought online faster than grid power. Rystad Energy analyst Audun Martinsen told the Times that the units could have a data center running in 24 months. By comparison, connecting 100 megawatts to the grid in Northern Virginia takes about seven years, according to the International Energy Agency.

Elon Musk’s xAI has installed eight converted jet-engine turbines in Mississippi to help power its Colossus 2 data center in Memphis, the Times reported, citing state permits and satellite imagery. The units are supplied by ProEnergy, which rebuilds a GE engine commonly used on Boeing jets.

Other companies are also turning to gas turbines. OpenAI used them at its first Stargate site in Abilene, Texas, in 2025. Crusoe, which is building that campus, ordered 13 converted ProEnergy units in April. In September, it withdrew from a $1.25 billion deal for 29 natural gas turbines from Boom Supersonic. A Crusoe spokesperson told TechCrunch the company still plans to use turbines.

Converted jet engines are less efficient and produce more pollution than turbines designed for conventional gas plants, and more units are needed to generate the same power, the Times reported. Some experts say efficiency and environmental concerns could become more important in a year or two.