Adds to 10 units ordered last year
Crusoe has ordered around 1GW of natural gas turbines to power its data centers.
GE Vernova is to deliver a total of 29 LM2500XPRESS aeroderivative gas turbine packages, following a previous order, to Crusoe for use at its data centers.
The announced order of 19 units, booked in June 2025, builds on the first series of 10 units Crusoe ordered in December 2024, and combined, is expected to provide nearly 1GW of electricity. Timelines for delivery weren’t shared.
“AI's exponential growth demands rapidly deployable power solutions. Crusoe’s capabilities as an energy-first digital infrastructure builder have positioned us well to take the issue of power into our own hands by rapidly building and operating power plants alongside AI data centers,” said Cully Cavness, co-founder, president, and COO of Crusoe.
"With their flexible and efficient technology, GE Vernova power generation equipment was an ideal choice to enable power plant strategies across Crusoe’s growing datacenter development portfolio.
“We’re building AI factories at record speed, and GE Vernova’s technology is a key enabler, significantly accelerating the path to energization for our customers and partners.”
Each LM2500XPRESS offers 35MW of capacity, includes a LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbine, gas compressor, and emissions control system, and is capable of starting independent of the power grid with five-minute fast start capability.
GE Vernova said the aero units reduce emissions through a catalytic converter transforming nitrogen oxides into water vapor and nitrogen, producing 90 percent lower emissions than traditional gas or diesel-powered reciprocating engines.
“This project clearly illustrates our ability to provide the right solutions for data centers and power applications of all sizes and scales,” said Pablo Koziner, GE Vernova’s chief commercial and operations officer. “From a single aero unit producing ~35MW to this 29-unit project, to our industry-leading HA heavy-duty gas turbines to small modular nuclear reactors, we have the full suite of generation options to help meet today’s and tomorrow’s energy needs.”
Previously a cryptomining company that has pivoted to data centers and cloud, Crusoe is developing a large campus in Abilene, Texas, for OpenAI’s Stargate project. Part of that site is set to be powered by natural gas.
Earlier this year, Crusoe entered into a joint venture with San Francisco investment firm Engine No. 1 to procure 4.5GW worth of gas turbines from GE Vernova and Chevron.
Reports suggest natural gas turbine makers are struggling to meet a surge in demand from data centers, with backlogs for orders reaching beyond 2029.
The desire for natural gas by the data center industry is itself a by-product of demand for immediate capacity and grid constraints. Companies wanting to deploy large amounts of AI capacity quickly are reluctant to wait years for connections to electricity transmission grids not yet ready for large loads.
Crusoe launched in 2018 as a cryptomining business that deployed containerized data centers to oil wells to harness natural gas that would otherwise be "flared off" and wasted.
