xAI installs eight converted jet engines to power Mississippi data center

xAI has installed eight turbines made from retired General Electric jet engines at its Mississippi data center, using them to generate electricity as demand for data-center power outstrips what utilities can readily supply. Missouri company ProEnergy converts the engines for this purpose; each turbine can produce up to 50 megawatts, roughly enough to power 15,000 homes. The installation helps xAI meet its electricity needs, but its state permits allow emissions of volatile organic compounds at limits 25 percent higher than usual, and the turbines also release carbon monoxide.

The Southern Environmental Law Center is challenging Mississippi’s approval, arguing that xAI has not shown the turbines will meet standards for pollutants such as formaldehyde and has understated expected emissions. The group previously sued over xAI’s use of gas generators without required permits. The dispute highlights a broader conflict: data-center expansion is accelerating while power supplies lag, with forecasts putting data centers at one-fifth of U.S. electricity use by 2035 and many planned projects delayed or canceled for lack of power. Musk has said xAI plans to multiply its data-center capacity sevenfold by the end of 2027. Although on-site turbines may ease energy constraints, their pollution could intensify local opposition already driven by concerns about data centers’ electricity and water consumption.