AI Data Centers Seek Used Turbines, Jet Engines

With new gas turbines booked years out and grid connections struggling to keep pace with data-center growth, developers are turning to used turbines and retired aircraft engines to secure power sooner. The rush has heated up the secondhand market: used equipment can cost less than new units, but demand is driving prices higher. Companies are converting aircraft engines into generators, including xAI, which has installed eight at a Mississippi data center; the approach can deliver power faster but is generally less efficient and more polluting than conventional gas turbines. President Donald Trump has also urged data-center developers to build their own power supplies rather than rely on the grid.