Data centers use converted jet engines for power
Original title: Data centers are turning to old jet engines as the wait for power grows
AI data centers install jet engine turbines to bypass power grid delays, with xAI and OpenAI using them for Colossus and Stargate sites.
Stuck in years-long grid connection lines and new turbine waits, some AI data centers are making their own electricity with converted jet engines pulled from retired aircraft and rebuilt to burn natural gas. The engines allow quick deployment, with a data center running in 24 months versus seven years for grid hookup in Northern Virginia. Companies like xAI installed eight units in Mississippi for its Colossus 2 site, OpenAI used them at its Stargate site, and Crusoe ordered 13 units while walking away from a different turbine deal.
- Grid connection to 100 MW in Northern Virginia takes about seven years.
- Most power capacity expected by 2031.
- Engines less efficient and pollute more than conventional gas plant turbines.
- xAI and OpenAI among companies already using the engines.
- Crusoe ordered 13 ProEnergy units in April.
- Vendors
- ProEnergyMitsubishi Power
- Products
- GE engineconverted jet engines
- Countries
- United States
From the original article
2 min read at techcrunch.com
The years-long wait for access to the grid and new turbines is causing data center builders to turn to an unusual, less efficient and less environmentally friendly solution: once-discarded jet engines.
By Aditya Mehta · techcrunch.com
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