Some AI data centers are generating their own electricity with retired aircraft engines rebuilt to burn natural gas, The New York Times reported on November 3. Grid connections and new turbines face long waits, and analyst Audun Martinsen of Rystad Energy says jet-powered units can get a data center running in about 24 months.
The International Energy Agency estimates connecting 100 MW to the grid in Northern Virginia takes about seven years. Microsoft withdrew 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. xAI installed eight converted turbines from ProEnergy in Mississippi for its Colossus 2 site in Memphis, and Crusoe, which builds OpenAI's Abilene campus, ordered 13 ProEnergy units in April.
The trade-off is cost to the environment: converted jet engines are less efficient and pollute more, and more units are needed for the same output. Some experts see them as a short-term fix, even as the Trump administration encourages data centers to generate their own power.