Crusoe scraps $1.25 billion turbine deal with Boom Supersonic amid data‑center expansion
Denver‑based AI data‑center builder Crusoe has terminated its $1.25 billion purchase of Boom Supersonic’s Superpower turbines, citing a shift in its short‑term power strategy.
What happened, who, and when
On September 25, 2026, Crusoe, the Denver AI‑data‑center startup that recently secured a $3.9 billion funding round, announced that it will no longer move forward with a planned purchase of stationary power turbines from fellow Denver firm Boom Supersonic. The cancellation was confirmed by Boom’s CEO Blake Scholl in a post on X later that Friday, after he had congratulated Crusoe’s founders on their financing.
Deal specifics and company statements
Crusoe had originally agreed to spend $1.25 billion on 29 of Boom’s 42‑megawatt “Superpower” turbines, which are derived from about 80 % of the same components used in Boom’s Symphony engine for its Overture supersonic jet. The first units were slated for delivery in 2027. In his X message, Scholl explained that because turbines are not part of Crusoe’s immediate primary power mix for sites such as the Abilene campus, the launch partnership no longer made sense. He added that Boom will still ship roughly 250 MW of Superpower turbines to other customers next year and is targeting 1 GW of capacity by 2028.
Crusoe confirmed the split, stating that it builds “AI factories from the power up” and remains flexible in choosing energy solutions—ranging from wind and solar to batteries, the grid and, where appropriate, turbines. Spokesperson Andrew Schmitt said the company is bringing new campuses online across the United States and will continue to evaluate the best power sources for each location. He noted that the 1.2 GW data center in Abilene, originally built for Oracle and OpenAI, runs on the grid with a gas‑turbine plant reserved for backup, while a forthcoming 900 MW Microsoft‑backed facility in the same city will rely on on‑site gas turbines.
The termination removes Boom’s first commercial customer for the Superpower line, a setback for the company that raised $300 million in 2025 to commercialize the stationary‑power business. Scholl had previously said the turbine venture would generate profits to fund Overture’s development.
Industry context and implications
Boom’s turbine concept was positioned as a way to monetize its aerospace engine technology by selling natural‑gas‑fired power plants, with the expectation that revenue would support the costly Overture supersonic jet program. Losing Crusoe—a major AI‑data‑center operator that supplies compute power to OpenAI—means the company must find other buyers to meet its 2028 gigawatt target. The move also underscores a broader trend among AI‑infrastructure firms to diversify energy sources, balancing grid electricity, renewable generation, and on‑site generation to meet the massive and variable power demands of modern AI workloads.
