Crusoe ditches $1.25B Boom turbine order, reshapes AI data center power strategy
Key takeaways
- Crusoe cancels $1.25B order for 29 Boom Superpower turbines originally due to ship in 2027
- Boom Supersonic pivots to other customers, targeting 250 MW deployments in 2025 and 1 GW by 2028
- Crusoe prioritizes grid power and flexible energy sources as its multi-site portfolio expands nationwide
Crusoe Energy, the Denver AI data center builder that just raised $3.9 billion, has terminated its partnership with Boom Supersonic to purchase 42-megawatt Superpower turbines. The deal, worth $1.25 billion for 29 units with deliveries set to begin in 2027, is now off the table. Boom CEO Blake Scholl announced the cancellation Friday on X, stating that turbines no longer fit Crusoe's "near term primary power mix" at its Texas facilities. Crusoe confirmed the split, saying it remains flexible in choosing energy solutions—including turbines, wind, solar, batteries, and grid power—as individual sites' needs evolve. The loss hits Boom, which raised $300 million last year partly to commercialize these engines derived from its Overture supersonic jet program. Scholl noted other customers are in the pipeline and Boom targets 250 MW of Superpower deployments next year.
The bigger picture
The breakup exposes a real tension in AI infrastructure development: energy flexibility versus long-term supplier commitments. Crusoe, now building multiple massive campuses across the country, likely concluded that Boom's timeline and specs didn't match its actual deployment needs—especially with Microsoft's 900 MW Abilene facility using conventional gas turbines instead. For Boom, losing its marquee launch customer is a blow to commercializing novel hardware, though the company's claim of other interested buyers needs scrutiny as the stationary turbine market remains unproven.
We're tracking this because AI infrastructure bets on novel energy tech keep reshaping how these mega-facilities get built. Crusoe and Boom seemed like a natural Denver partnership—two ambitious companies solving the same power puzzle—but real-world engineering and scaling priorities clearly diverged. This tells us something important about how fast data center projects adapt.
As an Amazon Associate, LagPing earns from qualifying purchases. Product links are affiliate links.
You might also like
Google Takes Over Crusoe's Stalled Wyoming Data Center, Betting $17B on Completion
1d ago
Boston Founder Summit Ditches Awkward Mixers for Structured Networking
Nov 1
RGG Studio Ditches Last-Gen Baggage to Push PS5 Graphics and Scale
Oct 31
Rockstar Unlocks Vice City Early: GTA 6 Ditches Linear Map Gating
Oct 29