xAI installs eight converted jet-engine generators in Mississippi

xAI has installed eight refurbished jet-engine generators at its Mississippi facility to supply electricity to its Colossus 2 computing complex, according to TechRadar. The units are converted by Missouri-based ProEnergy from retired General Electric aircraft engines.

The generators are reportedly capable of producing up to 50 megawatts each, equivalent to the electricity needs of about 15,000 homes. Data center operators are turning to this equipment as they face delays in getting grid connections. Audun Martinsen, an analyst at Rystad Energy, said operators can have a data center running in 24 months. The International Energy Agency says connecting a 100-megawatt facility to Northern Virginia’s electricity network can take about seven years.

The installations have also drawn environmental objections. Mississippi permits for xAI’s eight turbines reportedly allow a 25% higher limit for certain volatile organic compounds. The Southern Environmental Law Center has challenged the state’s approval, arguing that xAI has not adequately addressed pollutants including formaldehyde and questioning its emissions calculations.

The electricity shortfall is affecting data center plans more broadly. A July 2026 forecast said US data centers could use 20% of national electricity by 2035, 83% more than an estimate issued seven months earlier. The source also reports that about half of planned data center developments had been postponed or abandoned by April 2026, partly because electricity was unavailable.