US AI data centres turn to retired jet engines to meet power demand

With AI infrastructure driving electricity demand, US data centre operators are turning to retired aircraft engines converted into generators to secure power faster

US AI data centre companies are turning to retired aircraft engines to meet the growing electricity needs of their facilities, as the artificial intelligence boom drives up demand for power and delays in securing grid connections push operators to seek alternative sources, reported The New York Times.

 

According to the report, the engineering firms are removing engines from decommissioned aircraft and converting them into stationary electricity generators, with data centre operators buying the units as quickly as they can be manufactured.

 

The engines, many of which are stored in aircraft graveyards in Arizona's Sonoran Desert, are being repurposed as gas turbines to generate electricity for data centres.

 

The shift reflects the growing urgency among operators to secure power quickly. Bill Kleyman, chief executive of AI infrastructure provider Apolo, told The New York Times that data centre developers are increasingly focused on the speed at which they can access electricity. “They’re getting creative. Just a few years ago, a traditional data center would have been like, ‘Are you kidding me? This is ridiculous.’ Now, data center developers are obsessed with 'speed to power '. It’s like, ‘How fast can you get me energy?’" he told The New York Times.

 

The push towards independent power sources has also gained momentum amid public opposition to data centres drawing electricity from local grids and contributing to higher household utility bills.

 

US President Donald Trump has urged data centres to generate their own electricity rather than rely on the grid. In August, he said the facilities had been mandated to build their own power generation capacity. 

 

Aircraft graveyards as power reserves

 

According to the report, the US Energy Information Administration estimated in January that the engines inside 4,000 retired military jets parked at a single desert base in Tucson could generate 40,000 megawatts of electricity. This would exceed the total power generation capacity of Arizona.

 

However, repurposed jet engines are generally less fuel-efficient than turbines designed specifically for modern gas-fired power plants, the report noted. Their lower efficiency also means data centres need more units to generate an equivalent amount of electricity.

 

The environmental implications are another concern. Converted engines release higher volumes of air pollutants into surrounding communities.

 

Elon Musk's AI company xAI has already installed eight converted jet turbines to power a major data centre in Mississippi, according to state regulatory filings and satellite imagery reviewed by The New York Times.

 

The permits granted to the facility allow the turbines to emit carbon monoxide at twice the rate permitted for other on-site turbines. The permitted ceiling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is 25 per cent higher.

 

Environmental organisations and community groups have challenged the use of older turbines, arguing that it undermines efforts to move towards cleaner energy.

 

The Southern Environmental Law Center has challenged Mississippi's regulatory approval of xAI's turbines. It has argued that the equipment manufacturer has not provided documentation demonstrating compliance with standards for pollutants such as formaldehyde, and has accused the company of underestimating projected emissions.