8 converted jet engines are powering xAI data centers as companies look for new energy sources

Elon Musk's xAI is using eight converted jet engine turbines to power a Mississippi data center. While the generators have the required state-level permission and permits, there remain concerns about the impact they could have on the local environment. The permits allow for a 25% higher limit in pollutants known as volatile organic compounds, but those compounds, paired with the expulsion of carbon monoxide, have environmentalists warning that the use of jet engines to power data centers is a step in the wrong direction. The New York Times reports that the Southern Environmental Law Center has already challenged Mississippi's decision to approve the turbines for use at xAI's data center.

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America’s AI chip rules keep changing — and the rest of the world is paying the price

GTC 2026: Ian Buck press Q&A transcript — VP of Hyperscale and HPC speaks out on shelving CPX and shipping LPU decode this year …