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Recycling aeroengines for data centre power now
25/3/2026
8 min read
Feature
While some AI firms are investing long term in renewables and modular nuclear plants, the speed of the AI rollout inevitably creates bottlenecks in local planning restrictions and infrastructure. This is where gas turbine generators come in, as an easily deployed source of reliable electricity. And the place to find a surplus gas turbine is underneath a jet wing, writes Toby Clark.
Aircraft engines have long been an easy – and cheap – way to access huge power: the daredevils of the 1920s bolted war-surplus aeroengines such as the 27-litre Liberty V12 into racing cars and speedboats, with sometimes frightening results.
Instant power is needed now, too, as the insatiable demand for ‘hyperscale’ AI infrastructure leaves power grids floundering. In fact, these computing hubs are becoming known as ‘gigawatt’ data centres. So, operators are looking to aviation-based gas turbines to provide the power they need.
Just one of Meta’s proposed fleet of data centres – codenamed ‘Hyperion’ – covers an area comparable to Manhattan and will consume at least 2 GW by 2030, with Mark Zuckerberg noting that it ‘could scale up to 5 GW over several years’. This is roughly the average electricity consumption of London – or more than 10 million UK households.