In Northern Virginia, getting connected to a 100-megawatt power grid takes about seven years (according to the International Energy Agency). By contrast, repurposing retired aircraft engines to run on natural gas could get a data center up and running in about 24 months, says a Rystad Energy analyst. Some AI data centers stuck in the queue are counting on this time advantage.
There’s a trade-off: these units are less efficient and produce more emissions than conventional gas turbines, and more of them are needed to generate the same amount of power.
There’s a trade-off: these units are less efficient and produce more emissions than conventional gas turbines, and more of them are needed to generate the same amount of power.