xAI installed eight converted jet-engine power units at its plant in Southaven, Mississippi, to supply the Colossus 2 data center complex near Memphis, Tennessee. ProEnergy rebuilt the engines, which started as General Electric CF6-80C2 engines, to run on natural gas rather than jet fuel, and each unit produces approximately 50 megawatts. Mississippi regulators issued permits covering the jet-engine units on March 11, 2026, allowing a 25% higher limit for volatile organic compounds. The New York Times reported the deployment on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, after an investigation drawing on satellite imagery, describing the units as feeding Colossus 2 as grid delays push AI companies to build their own electricity supply. The legal and environmental fight includes appeals filed by the NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center, and a federal judge rejected xAI’s motion to dismiss on October 30, 2026. TechCrunch tied the shift to long grid-connection and turbine wait times. Audun Martinsen, a Rystad Energy analyst, told the Times that “It’s all about getting power as fast as possible,” adding that with jet-powered units, “they can have a data center running in 24 months.” The International Energy Agency estimated that hooking up 100 megawatts to the grid in Northern Virginia takes about seven years, and TechCrunch said most power capacity is expected to come on by 2031. Tom