airplane

Meeting the energy demand of AI is leading to desperate measures. How to reuse old airplane turbines

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The AI ​​race has put the electrical infrastructures of half the world in check. Data centers need more and more megawatts, and they need them now. But the energy industry does not play at the same pace, which explains why there are companies installing airplane engines next to these huge graphics card farms. Two options, two problems. When a company builds a new data center for AI, it has two options. The first is to connect to the electrical network, but according to IEEE Spectrumpermits to carry out interconnection can reach eight or even ten years in some regions. AI, however, advances in a matter of months, and cannot wait a decade. Hence, many companies, like Elon Musk’s xAIopt for option 2: build their own power plant on the site. This is not without problems either. Global demand for gas turbines has skyrocketed, and not just because of AI, but because of economic growth in Asia and the Middle East. Manufacturers such as GE Vernova or Siemens Energy have waiting lists of three to five years, and for larger models, the period is longer. As noted in a report by Public Powera new gas plant project commissioned today could begin operating in 2032. Aircraft engines as power plants. This bottleneck has caused, on the one hand, that turbine manufacturers rub their handsand on the other, that companies sharpen their ingenuity. And this is where aeronautical engineering and the reuse of aircraft turbines come into play. The concept of using aircraft engines to generate electricity is not new. They are known as aeroderivative turbines: they are smaller, lighter and easier to maintain than heavy industrial turbines. What is new is the scale and urgency with which this solution is being implemented. From a Boeing 747 to the data center. An American company called ProEnergy has become a protagonist of the trend with a simple plan: buy used jet engine cores, specifically the CF6-80C2 model of the iconic Boeing 747, and adapt them. These engines, after decades of service in the air, are disassembled, reviewed piece by piece and rebuilt for a second life on dry land. The result is the PE6000 unit, a gas turbine that, as detailed the popia companyis capable of generating 48 megawatts (MW) of electricity. A single one of these units can power a small or medium-sized data center, or a city of up to 40,000 homes. A bridging solution. The reality is that these converted aircraft engines are not the definitive solution, but rather what the industry bridges for the first years of operation of its data centers. “Both projects are designed to provide bridge power for five to seven years, which is when they hope to have interconnection to the grid,” says the CEO of ProEnergy. But business is good. The company has already sold 21 of these turbines for two projects, adding more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of capacity thanks to its speed of delivery. Companies can buy a turbine from ProEnergy by 2027 or wait a decade to build a conventional plant. Everyone wins. Except the environment. It is gas that ends up burning in order to have these data centers operational in record time. Image | ProEnergy In Xataka | If the question is “how does having a data center next to my house affect me”, in the US they already have an answer: 267% more expensive electricity

The US already proves its new “Airplane of the Last Judgment”. His role is to keep the command chain even in a nuclear scenario

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The most resilient aircraft in the United States has just written a new chapter in a story that started half a century ago. The Air Force and Sierra Nevada Corporation They have launched the First flight tests of E-4C SAOC, direct successor of the E-4B Nightwatchthe family of “Final Judgment” that guarantees the continuity of command even in the worst scenario. Recently, a giant based on a Boeing 747-8he first took off from Dayton, Ohio, opening a trial campaign that will last in the coming months and that opens the transition to a more modern fleet. With this step, the North American country begins to replace flying bunkers that approach at the end of its useful life. It is not a new concept: we talk about the evolution of a system that combines government continuity, safe communications and nuclear deterrence. The SAOC program, with a contract of More than 13,000 million dollars Awarded in 2024, it is a change of method in the Pentagon: for the first time, the original manufacturer of 747 does not lead the integration and responsibility falls to a company specialized in large conversions, which has brought together first level partners to build the most advanced command plane of its time. That inaugural flight is the first step of a decade of work to deliver a platform capable of continuing to operate when everything else fails. A new chapter for the most strategic plane in the United States The SAOC (acronym for surviving Airborne Operations Center) is the most ambitious Air Force project to reinforce its network of Nuclear control, control and communications. Its mission is clear: to ensure that, although the strategic centers on land remain unused, the country’s leadership can coordinate a military response and Maintain control of the armed forces from the air. It is no accident that these aircraft are known as “final judgment planes”: they are designed to be the last resort in a scenario where everything collapses, operating as a true flying pentagon. The first generation of this platform, the E-4B Nightwatch, entered service in the seventies on the basis of a Boeing 747-200. Currently, the United States maintains four units Active, all deployed in the Offutt Air Base, Nebraska. Despite their robustness, the passage of time passes by an invoice: each plane has decades in service, the spare parts are increasingly difficult to get and Its availability is barely 55%. Keeping these giants operational is a expensive task, and the Air Force plans to remove them at the beginning of the next decade. The renewal is already underway. Sierra Nevada has received four of the five Boeing 747-8i acquired from Korean Air, and in them are applied deep modifications. Dayton, Ohio, and Wichita, Kansas They concentrate the Conversion and test operationswhich will be extended at least until 2026. This staggered plan will allow the new aircraft to enter into service while the E-4B begin to withdraw, always maintaining an operational nucleus that ensures the continuity of government. A E-4B Nightwatch currently operational The technological jump is evident. The 747-8 is the last large commercial aircraft of four engines made in the United States, with greater fuel capacity, more efficient engines and a broader fuselage than its predecessor. These characteristics make it the ideal base for an airplane that needs to sustain prolonged operations with refreshing in flight. The 747-8 cell also provides growth margin to integrate advanced communications, reinforced armor and redundant systems, all designed to survive electromagnetic pulses or cyber attacks. E-4B Nightwatch Decades of antiquity in flight At an industrial level, the program also makes a difference. Although Boeing remains the original 747 manufacturer and provides structural support, this time does not lead the project: the Air Force opted for an open data model to ensure that the government owns the design and can modify it in the future without depending exclusively on the OEM. Boeing It was out of the bid in 2023 after disagreements on the terms of the contract and data rights, which opened the door to Sierra Nevada Corporation as the main contractor. The company, known for its high complexity projects, has formed a team with giants like Lockheed Martin, Collins Aerospace and Rolls-Royce to create an unprecedented platform in the military. His role in recent history reinforces the need for this investment. E-4B have participated in critical events: from government continuity exercises to emergencies such as September 11, 2001 attackswhen at least one of these aircraft took off to provide safe communications in the middle of chaos. These aircraft have routinely accompanied the Secretary of Defense on International Travel, remain on alert during presidential speeches to Congress and act as a support network when national security protocols are launched. In the popular imaginary they appear little, but their mere existence is part of the United States deterrence strategy. The E-4C SAOC is, more than an update, a long-term bet. The contract signed with Sierra Nevada is It extends until 2036which reflects the magnitude of the technical challenge and the necessary time to complete the conversion of the aircraft, certify and deploy them fully. With this plan, the United States ensures that the most critical piece of its system of Nuclear control and control It will remain in force for decades. Although many details, such as the exact equipment of antennas and systems, are still classified, what is already underway is a clear message: the ability to direct the country in a global crisis depends on a strategic investment that seeks to always have a command center in the air. Images | Sierra Nevada | Balon Grayjoy | Defense Department In Xataka | Aviation enters a new era: seats are no longer tarified, emotions are tarified

Why the airlines continue to force us to put the airplane mode in 2025

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“Please be sure to put your electronic devices in airplane mode Before takeoff. If your device does not have a plane mode, bring it completely during the flight. ” Something similar to this message is reproduced thousands of times every day in the world and, although not everyone pays attention, a usual gesture when sitting on the plane is to connect the plane mode. 25 years after birth The plane mode, although the message continues to reproduce, it is no longer mandatory to put the mobile in plane mode. However, there are pilots who continue to defend their use for a reason: their comfort. It made sense. The airplane mode was born as a result of a concern: the possible electromagnetic interference that electronic devices could cause in both communication and navigation systems in airplanes. It was a possibility, like the one that existed of light fourth to gasoline in gas stationsbut the chances of a catastrophic failure They were very low. However, to mitigate any potential risk and guarantee safety, the measure of prohibiting the use of electronic devices during certain phases of the flight was adopted. Fiction has contributed to still thinking that something can go wrong, such as the moment of ‘The Simpsons‘In which Bart is playing with a Game boythe hostess asks him to turn it off and, in doing so, the plane begins to plumn). As these devices advanced and added more networks, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and more powerful connections, the “plane mode” was adopted that disable these transmissions. And, as the main motivation of this function was its use in commercial flights, the name and icon of the plane was consolidated although its use was recommended in other environments such as hospitals or the aforementioned gas stations. 2014 and 5G. After implanted and turned into A standard for several devicesin 2014 things began to change. In September, the European agency EASA He gave the passengers free to use their electronic devices without plane mode. That most lax attitude left the ball on the roof of the airlines, which could maintain or not the mandatory use of the airplane mode and, in fact, many have adopted internal Wi-Fi systems that allow them to earn more money. One of the famous Extras of the companies. Asterisk. While the plane is not going to fall, the use of this way is still promoted for a very specific reason: the crew comfort and controllers. These years, in well -known blogs such as’Ask The Pilotor like Some pilots commentAviation experts have appeared that comment that the way to prevent an annoying buzzing for communications is recommended. And it is logical. As Comment The pilot Rafa San Julián, from Iberia, the aircraft teams are “much more protected than formerly and are much less vulnerable.” Now, the plane mode is still recommended for a very specific reason: technology and Power of mobile networks It advances every few years and “it cannot be predicted if these interference will occur with the new equipment. Therefore, as a safety measure, it is requested that the mobiles put in plane mode so that they do not emit with the same power with which they would issue without that mode,” he says. Concern by the way 5g. And block with what Boeing detected a few years ago. FAA, which is the US aviation agency, He issued Directives warning about possible 5G signal interference in band C (3.7 to 3.98 GHz in the US) Be too close of the frequency used by the radio heights of Boeing and Airbus aircraft (4.2 to 4.4 GHz). These radio altimeters are essential in landing maneuvers and in other systems such as soil proximity notice. The concern would affect airplanes such as Boeing 737, 747, 777 and 787, and would force pilots to perform landing maneuvers in safe and more manual mode. However, no serious accidents or incidents have been reported due to this interference and, if They have canceled or delayed flightsit was due to an increase in caution. In fact, FAA itself command Shortly after a message of tranquility. That distance of 0.22 GHz It is enough As if there are no interference, but at that time it was not more caught. Fly calm. Therefore, not remove the plane mode during a flight will not make the plane fall, but it can generate a buzz or White noise In communications, being annoying for pilots and controllers. Activate it is a good idea to save battery and so that if you are going through a country without roaming and remotely get coverage, do not charge you five euros for downloading a WhatsApp message. Images | Nejc SokličXataka In Xataka | Why more and more pilots use the continuous descent maneuver in the airplanes when it comes to landing

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