From Flight Decks to Server Racks: How Aircraft Engines Are Powering the AI Boom

The Unprecedented Energy Demands of AI Infrastructure

The artificial intelligence revolution is creating an energy crisis that few predicted. As AI models grow exponentially larger and more complex, the computational power required to train and run them is straining global electricity grids beyond their limits. Data centers dedicated to AI workloads are consuming power at rates comparable to small cities, creating an urgent need for alternative power solutions that can be deployed rapidly.

This energy crunch has become particularly acute in the United States, where AI development is concentrated. According to recent projections, American data centers are expected to consume 22% more grid power by the end of 2025 compared to the previous year. With many regional grids unable to accommodate these massive new connection requests, operators are increasingly turning to on-site generation—a trend that energy experts predicted but whose scale has surprised even the most seasoned industry observers.

The Great Gas Turbine Shortage

The rush to build on-site power generation has exposed a critical bottleneck in the supply chain: gas turbines. Three manufacturers dominate two-thirds of the global market—Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Germany’s Siemens, and GE Vernova (the recently spun-off energy division of General Electric). None were prepared for the sudden surge in demand from the data center industry.

“There’s so much demand right now that we can’t meet it all,” confessed an MHI executive, noting that North American customers now face three-year waiting lists for new turbine generators. The situation is even more dire for larger turbines, with some manufacturers quoting delivery timelines extending to five years. The shortage has become so severe that developers are paying massive non-refundable reservation fees—one reportedly paid $25 million just to secure a 2030 delivery slot from GE Vernova., according to industry experts

The global nature of this shortage is affecting energy projects worldwide. In Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam and the Philippines, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has documented how gas turbine shortages are increasing delays and costs for power projects, potentially hampering economic development in emerging markets.

Jet Engines Find New Purpose on the Ground

In response to this supply crisis, innovative companies are looking to the skies for solutions. ProEnergy Services, a Missouri-based energy services company, has pioneered the conversion of retired aircraft engines into stationary power generators. The company purchases used General Electric CF6 engines—the same powerplants that propelled commercial airliners for decades—and meticulously overhauls them for their new role.

“A gas turbine is essentially the same whether it’s powering an aircraft or generating electricity,” explains a ProEnergy engineer. “The core technology is identical—we’re just redirecting the shaft power to drive a generator instead of a fan.” The company’s PE6000 turbines are already being deployed at data center construction sites, providing immediate power during the critical build phase and early operations.

These jet-engine generators serve as an ideal bridge solution. During the initial years of a data center’s operation, they provide primary power. Once grid connections become available, they can be transitioned to backup roles, used to supplement grid power during peak demand, or resold to other facilities facing similar power challenges.

Alternative Power Solutions Face Their Own Hurdles

While repurposed aircraft engines present an innovative stopgap, data center operators are exploring other alternatives with varying degrees of success:, as comprehensive coverage

• Diesel generators remain the traditional backup solution but face environmental regulations and community opposition in many regions
• Fuel cells offer cleaner operation but at significantly higher cost and with scaling challenges
• Co-location with renewable sources, such as building data centers within wind farms, shows promise but requires specific geographic conditions
• Small modular reactors (SMRs) represent the holy grail of clean, dense power but remain years away from commercial deployment

The aircraft engine solution stands out for its immediate availability and proven technology. With thousands of commercial jet engines being retired annually as airlines modernize their fleets, the supply of potential power generators is both substantial and sustainable—at least for the medium term.

The Future of Data Center Power

This creative repurposing of aircraft engines highlights the broader challenges facing digital infrastructure as AI transforms our technological landscape. The energy requirements of advanced computing are growing faster than traditional power infrastructure can adapt, forcing innovation in unexpected directions.

What began as a temporary solution to turbine shortages may evolve into a longer-term strategy. The rapid deployment capability, relative efficiency, and available supply chain of converted jet engines could make them a permanent fixture in the data center power ecosystem, particularly for facilities in regions with constrained grid capacity.

As one industry analyst noted, “When you can’t get what you need, you find what works. The data center industry is discovering that sometimes the solution to a ground-based problem is already flying overhead.”

References & Further Reading

This article draws from multiple authoritative sources. For more information, please consult:

• https://ieefa.org/articles/global-gas-turbine-shortages-set-increase-delays-and-costs-gas-power-projects-vietnam-and
• https://www.proenergyservices.com/
• https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/bahia-advances-to-receive-brazils-first-data-center-inside-a-wind-farm

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