Data centers are turning to old jet engines as the wait for power grows
- ID
- 42739
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 04 Nov 2026, 6:19 AM
- Fetched
- 04 Nov 2026, 7:49 AM
- Provider
- TechCrunch
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/03/data-centers-are-turning-to-old-jet-engines-as-the-wait-for-power-grows/
- Source URL
- https://techcrunch.com/feed/
Summary
- Score
- 6.5
- Created
- 04 Nov 2026, 7:50 AM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersai_ml_learnerssaas_founders
What happened
Some AI data centers are converting retired jet engines to burn natural gas because grid connections and new turbines take years; Rystad Energy analyst Audun Martinsen says jet-powered units can get a data center running in 24 months, while a 100MW grid hookup in Northern Virginia takes about seven years. xAI has installed eight converted jet-engine turbines in Mississippi for its Colossus 2 data center in Memphis, and Microsoft pulled out as anchor customer for Nscale's Loughton, England site after the utility said power would not arrive until the early-to-mid 2030s.
Why it matters
If you are choosing AI cloud/GPU capacity or planning a data-center-dependent product, ask for power delivery dates, not just announced capacity: the article contrasts 24 months for converted jet engines with roughly seven years for 100MW in Northern Virginia, and shows an anchor customer walking after a utility delay to the early-to-mid 2030s. For Malaysian founders evaluating regional AI infrastructure partners, announced data centers are not the same as energized capacity.
Discussion angle
What evidence should a Malaysian team demand from an AI cloud or GPU provider to prove it has energized capacity—power delivery dates, utility contracts, on-site generation—rather than just announced data-center plans?