Data Centers Use Converted Jet Engines to Overcome Power Grid Delays

Image: TechCrunch · Source

Facing multi-year waits for grid connections, some AI data centers are deploying converted jet engines burning natural gas to rapidly generate electricity, despite efficiency and environmental drawbacks.

The rapid expansion of AI data centers is driving an urgent need for power capacity, but lengthy delays in connecting to electrical grids and accessing new turbines have prompted innovative, if imperfect, solutions. According to a November 2026 report by TechCrunch citing the New York Times, some data centers are now utilizing converted jet engines, originally from retired aircraft, to produce electricity on-site by burning natural gas.

These repurposed jet engines offer a distinct advantage in speed: they can be operational and powering a data center within approximately 24 months. This contrasts sharply with traditional grid connections; for instance, securing 100 megawatts of grid power in Northern Virginia typically involves a wait of around seven years. Mitsubishi Power executives indicate that most new power capacity is projected to come online by 2031.

Such delays have already affected business decisions. Microsoft recently withdrew as the lead customer for Nscale’s Loughton, England data center project due to local utility power shortages extending into the 2030s. Companies at the forefront of AI computing have turned to these jet engine solutions: Elon Musk’s xAI operates eight converted jet turbines built by ProEnergy at its Colossus 2 facility, while OpenAI installed similar gas turbines for its Stargate data center in Texas.

ProEnergy specialises in refurbishing General Electric engines commonly used on Boeing jets. Denver-based startup Crusoe, which builds AI data centers, initially planned to purchase more turbines, including natural gas models based on supersonic jet engines from Boom Supersonic, although it recently pulled back from a major deal. The U.S. government, under the Trump administration, has also been encouraging data centers to generate their own electricity to mitigate grid supply limitations.

However, the use of converted jet engines is not without drawbacks. They are less efficient and produce higher emissions compared to conventional gas turbines designed for power generation. Consequently, they require a greater number of units to sustain the same output. Industry observers suggest that while this method offers a critical short-term fix enabling rapid data center deployment, efficiency and environmental concerns may prompt shifts in strategy within a few years.

This trend underscores the growing tension between the pace of AI infrastructure development and the existing limits of energy supply systems. Until grid and traditional turbine capacity catch up, converted jet engines are an unconventional but pragmatic response to soaring energy demands in the data center sector.