If you think about it logically, there are not many similarities between the aeronautics industry and artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. But Boom Supersonic, which is building the Overture supersonic passenger plane, announced that it is now modifying the aircraft engine to generate electricity for AI data centers.
The electric generator turbine, called Superpower, is modified from a jet engine called Symphony. Each Superpower pack can generate 42 MW of electricity. Superpower's first customer is the pioneering company Crusoe, which awarded it a $1.25 billion contract to generate 1.21 gigawatts of energy.
Boom said that profits from Superpower will also be used to generate funds to continue the Overture project. So far, Boom has successfully launched a small-scale prototype aircraft, the XB-1, which is the first private aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds without the sonic boom.
If all goes well, Overture will make its first flight in 2026 and begin carrying passengers by 2029. So far, United Airlines, Japan Airlines and American Airlines are among the airlines interested in using Overture.
