Retired aircraft engines sitting in the desert are the latest unlikely flashpoint in the race to power artificial intelligence. As data centre demand surges, President Donald Trump is being pressed to back a plan that would turn those idle turbines into electricity for AI supercomputers, rather than leave them to corrode in the sun. The idea collides with his administration’s broader push for new large power plants and its flagship Genesis Mission for AI, forcing a choice between improvisation and heavy infrastructure.
At stake is whether the United States can secure enough reliable, affordable energy to match Trump’s ambition to lead the world in AI while keeping grid stress and public backlash in check. The proposal to repurpose retired jet engines is audacious, but it lands at a moment when Washington is already rethinking who pays for the AI power boom and how quickly new capacity can be built.
From aircraft graveyards to AI powerhouses
The core pitch to Trump is disarmingly simple: take engines from planes dumped in the Arizona desert and use them as compact generators for AI data centres. Advocates argue that thousands of these Engines could be refurbished and clustered into modular plants near major computing hubs, sidestepping years of permitting for new grid-scale stations. One detailed proposal claims that engines from planes dumped in the Arizona desert could be used to provide 40 g of power for data centres, a figure that, if realised, would rival the output of multiple conventional plants.
Supporters frame the plan as a way to turn a liability into an asset, pointing to the vast “boneyards” of retired commercial and military aircraft that already exist. One assessment notes that roughly 4,000 retired military could feed such a scheme, with engines that were designed for extreme conditions now being repurposed for stationary use. The concept has been serious enough to attract attention from US bureaucracy, which has been described as floating the idea as part of a wider debate over how to keep AI data centres powered without overwhelming existing grids.
A quirky idea in a very serious power crunch
What makes the jet engine proposal more than a curiosity is the scale of the AI power crunch it is trying to address. Reporting on the debate around AI data centres underscores how quickly electricity demand is rising as companies roll out larger models and new services. The same analysis that highlights the potential of retired engines also stresses that the numbers are “eye catching” because they hint at a future where traditional grid planning simply cannot keep up with the pace of AI deployment.
In that context, the idea of using Retired engines is less about novelty and more about buying time. I see it as a stopgap that could, in theory, be deployed faster than new nuclear or large gas plants, especially if the units are sited on private land near hyperscale campuses. Yet even proponents concede that this would not replace the need for long term investment in the grid, and critics warn that leaning on aviation hardware risks locking in fossil fuel dependence just as cleaner options are scaling up.
Trump’s big-plant strategy and the Genesis Mission
The pressure on Trump to consider unconventional options comes as his administration is already committed to a sweeping build out of traditional generation. Earlier this month, the National Energy Dominance announced an agreement with governors across the Mid-Atlantic region to construct new large power plants, with officials arguing that high electricity prices are a choice rather than an inevitability. That fact sheet framed big plants as the backbone of a strategy to keep energy abundant and cheap, a message that resonates with Trump’s long standing emphasis on domestic production.
At the same time, the administration has tied its AI ambitions to a flagship research effort known as the Genesis Mission. In late 2025, an official release declared that Energy Department Launches the Genesis Mission to Transform American Science and Innovation Through the AI Computing Revolution, promising to accelerate discovery and strengthen national security. A separate White House fact sheet described the initiative as USHERING in a NEW ERA of DISCOVERY, with President Donald J. Trump signing an Executive Order to launch the programme and direct agencies to support and enhance the Genesis Mission.
Who pays for the AI power boom
Trump’s energy calculus is not just about technology, it is also about money. His administration has made clear that it does not want ordinary ratepayers to shoulder the full cost of the AI build out, and has instead pushed big technology companies to contribute directly. In mid January, The Trump administration and several state governors on Friday urged the largest electricity grid in the U.S. to make the big tech companies that are driving AI demand help pay for new power plants because of their data centre expansion.
Financial markets have been quick to react to this shift. Coverage of the sector notes that AI power stocks were on the move on Friday following reports President Tru was backing a plan that would benefit companies positioned to build and operate new capacity. A separate analysis, illustrated by Sheldon Cooper of SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images, highlighted how investors are treating Trump’s energy pronouncements as direct catalysts for utility and infrastructure valuations.
Nuclear, permits and the politics of speed
Trump has also been explicit that nuclear energy is central to his long term vision for powering AI and industry. In a recent appearance, he said that the United States is “very much into the world of nuclear energy” and that the country can have it “now at good prices” and “very very safe,” adding that “we’re leading” in that space, a message captured in a clip shared at SCcK6UUX_lM. That stance aligns with his broader argument that advanced reactors and large plants will secure American leadership over rivals such as China in both energy and AI.
Yet even as he touts nuclear, Trump has been venting frustration about how slowly some projects are moving. In another recording, he complained that developers “still haven’t gotten their permits” despite his claim that “every f federal permit every single one has been given a year ago,” a line delivered while praising Lee Zeldo and shared via _ysHI-qZgmY. That tension between federal approvals and on the ground delays is precisely what makes quick fix ideas like jet engine generators attractive to some in his orbit, even if they sit awkwardly alongside the administration’s preference for large, permanent plants.
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