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US election results: Flooding forces relocation of 21 polling sites in Florida US House election: Democrats need 3-seat gain to end Republican majority US Senate election: Can Democrats flip the Senate as Trump faces crucial test? In January, the federal Energy Information Administration estimated that the engines housed inside 4,000 retired military jets parked at a single desert base in Tucson could produce 40,000 megawatts of electricity, exceeding the generation capacity of the entire state of Arizona. State permits granted to the facility allow the converted turbines to emit carbon monoxide at double the rate permitted for other on-site turbines, along with a 25% higher ceiling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Because of their lower operational efficiency, data centers require a higher number of jet-powered units to produce the equivalent electrical output, moreover,. The New York Times reported that a growing roster of engineering firms is stripping engines from decommissioned aircraft and converting them into stationary electrical generators with data center operators snapping them up as fast as they can be built.
This is ridiculous’,” said Bill Kleyman, chief executive of AI platform and infrastructure provider Apolo. Data center developers are now singularly obsessed with “speed to power,” Kleyman explained, adding, “It’s like, ‘How fast can you get me energy?’” The rush to secure self-contained energy sources has also been accelerated by political pressure. Data centers now are mandated by me that they build their own electricity, so they’re not taking it from the grid,” Trump told reporters in August. Elon Musk’s AI venture, xAI, has already integrated eight converted jet turbines to power a major data center in Mississippi, according to state regulatory filings and satellite imagery reviewed by The New York Times.
At a time when the artificial intelligence (AI) boom has sparked a surge in electricity demand, American AI data centre companies are finding new ways to power their infrastructure. others are striking deals to use nuclear power to keep the servers running While some are turning towards massive solar and wind farms. Now, they are reportedly turning to Arizona’s Sonoran desert where thousands of retired airplanes with jet engines mounted sit in vast metal graveyards. Those turbines are being resurrected to keep the servers running. “They’re getting creative. Just a few years ago, a traditional data center would have been like, ‘Are you kidding me? With rapid data centre construction driving public backlash over rising household utility bills, President Donald Trump has pushed facilities to generate their own power rather than pulling from local grids. “It was my idea. Aircraft graveyards offer an enormous, untapped energy reserve, the report pointed out. Converted aircraft turbines, however, come with major engineering trade-offs. For example, repurposed jet engines are generally less fuel-efficient than turbines built specifically for modern gas-fired power plants. Converted engines release significantly higher volumes of air pollutants into surrounding communities. Both substances present serious health hazards. Environmental organisations and community advocates argue that leaning on older, dirtier turbines undermines clean energy goals. The Southern Environmental Law Center has formally challenged Mississippi’s regulatory approval of xAI’s turbines, arguing that the equipment maker has failed to supply documentation proving compliance with standards for toxins like formaldehyde, while accusing xAI of undercounting its projected emissions. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
Today, attitudes have fundamentally shifted around project lead times.