Caterpillar to Supply 2GW of Natural Gas Turbines for West Virginia AI Compute Campus
January 30, 2026
The relentless power demands of artificial intelligence are driving a fundamental shift in data center infrastructure, pushing developers to secure massive, reliable, and rapidly deployable power generation. In a significant move addressing this need, industrial giant Caterpillar Inc. has entered a strategic partnership to supply critical power infrastructure for one of the United States' largest planned AI data center campuses. Caterpillar will supply 2 gigawatts (GW) of natural gas generator sets to American Intelligence & Power Corporation (AIP Corp) for the initial phases of its Monarch Compute Campus in Mason County, West Virginia. The sprawling campus is planned to reach a total capacity of up to 8GW. Deliveries of the Caterpillar equipment are scheduled to occur between September 2026 and August 2027, with the first 2GW of power expected to be operational by 2027. The deal underscores the scale of modern AI infrastructure. Caterpillar will provide its G3516 natural gas generator sets, which the company states can ramp from zero to full load in approximately seven seconds—a critical feature for managing the volatile power draw of AI workloads. This equipment will be paired with battery energy storage systems to further stabilize the grid. Caterpillar's authorized dealer, Boyd CAT, will provide local support, and Caterpillar Financial will offer vendor equipment financing aligned with the delivery schedule. Daniel J. Shapiro, CEO of AIP, emphasized the project's design philosophy, stating, "Our design is purpose-built for AI data center operations, combining fast-response natural gas generation with battery energy storage to manage rapid load variability and deliver consistent power quality at scale." Melissa Busen, Caterpillar's Senior Vice President of Electric Power, noted that the project "demonstrate[s] how Caterpillar’s natural gas generation platforms are being deployed as core infrastructure for data centers and other power-intensive applications where reliability, speed of deployment, and lifecycle performance are critical." The partnership highlights a growing trend where data center developers, particularly those focused on AI, are bypassing traditional utility timelines by creating their own on-site, behind-the-meter power ecosystems. The Monarch Campus has been authorized under West Virginia law as its own islanded utility with microgrid status, which AIP claims will drastically accelerate its time to power. For Caterpillar, this agreement marks a continued expansion into the data center power market, following a similar multi-year deal announced in August 2025 to deliver up to 1GW of capacity for data centers in North America with partner Hunt Energy. Source: datacenterdynamics
