Old, Polluting Jet Engines Are Being Scavenged to Power Data Centers

The surge in electricity demand from artificial-intelligence data centers is reviving retired aircraft engines as a fast way to generate power. Companies remove jet turbines from planes stored in desert boneyards, modify them to burn natural gas or diesel, and connect them to generators. A converted engine can produce about 50 megawatts, while avoiding years-long waits for grid connections or conventional turbines. ProEnergy, FTAI Aviation and Boom Supersonic are among the businesses entering the market; data-center developers are buying units quickly. xAI has installed eight converted turbines in Mississippi, and regulatory filings indicate that other major technology companies’ power suppliers are considering them. The engines are especially attractive because data-center builders prioritize getting electricity quickly over cost or efficiency.

The shortcut carries environmental and practical costs. Converted aircraft turbines are generally less efficient and more polluting than standard power-plant equipment, and xAI’s permits allow higher emissions of carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds than limits for other turbines at the site. Environmental groups challenge the permits, question whether emissions have been fully counted, and warn that nearby communities face health risks. The Trump administration has urged data centers to generate their own power and defended xAI against an environmental lawsuit, framing the dispute as a matter of national AI competitiveness. Engineers and aviation experts also question whether large arrays of aging engines will prove economical to fuel and maintain. Their quick deployment is meeting an urgent power shortage, but efficiency, emissions and community impacts may become harder to ignore.