AI data center builders are turning to retired jet engines to generate their own electricity, as the wait for grid connections and new turbines stretches into years, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The engines, salvaged from decommissioned aircraft and rebuilt to burn natural gas, are neither efficient nor clean compared with standard gas-plant turbines. But they can be deployed in roughly 24 months, making them one of the fastest ways to power an AI campus while utilities lag behind demand.
Why jet engines beat waiting for the grid
The trade-off is speed. "It's all about getting power as fast as possible," Rystad Energy analyst Audun Martinsen told the Times, noting that converted jet-engine units let operators have a data center running in about 24 months.
By contrast, hooking up 100 megawatts to the grid in Northern Virginia takes around seven years, according to the International Energy Agency. Most power capacity isn't expected to come online before 2031, a Mitsubishi Power executive told Bloomberg last week.
- Roughly 24 months to get a jet-engine-powered data center running, per Rystad Energy analyst Audun Martinsen
- About seven years to connect 100 megawatts to the grid in Northern Virginia, according to the International Energy Agency
- Most new power capacity expected online only by 2031, a Mitsubishi Power executive told Bloomberg
