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Energy

Who powers AI

xAI and OpenAI are rivals. Their first giant AI data centers both run on power from the same company: Caterpillar.

Numbers as of 25 Sept 2026

The full story

  1. A map of who powers AI data centers. Caterpillar, highlighted, sold xAI 15 turbines for 250 megawatts and reportedly sold OpenAI about 5 turbines for 170 megawatts. GE Vernova supplies Chevron with turbines for up to 4 gigawatts. Bloom Energy supplies Oracle with fuel cells for up to 2.8 gigawatts.
  2. First, the why: why not just plug into the grid? AI data centers need huge power, the grid makes them wait years, so they build power plants on site and buy the machines to run them. Big data centers in Virginia can wait up to 7 years for a grid hookup.
  3. Caterpillar and xAI: xAI's Memphis site mixes three power sources. Its Caterpillar turbines (model SMT-130, from Solar Turbines), approved by a July 2025 air permit, give about 250 megawatts; on top of that it takes 150 megawatts from the grid, and Tesla Megapack batteries store power as backup.
  4. GE Vernova and Chevron: Chevron reserved seven GE Vernova 7HA turbines in 2025 for its first data center power plants. The first, about 2.67 gigawatts in West Texas, will power a Microsoft data center under a 20-year agreement, with first power expected in 2028 and extra capacity from Caterpillar's
  5. Bloom Energy and Oracle: a fuel cell turns fuel into power without burning it. Bloom delivered a working fuel cell system to an Oracle cloud data center in 55 days, more than a month ahead of a 90-day deadline. The deal started in 2025 and was expanded in April 2026.
  6. The makers in Q2 2026: Caterpillar's power-generation sales rose 29 percent from a year earlier. GE Vernova added 16 gigawatts of gas turbine contracts and is mostly sold out through 2030. Bloom Energy's revenue rose 166 percent, its first billion-dollar quarter. The catch: OpenAI's Caterpillar turb
  7. Who powers AI by 2030? A row of the Caterpillar, GE Vernova and Bloom Energy logos, plus Other. Below: Turbines, or fuel cells? Follow Green Owl if you want more.

The bulldozer company has quietly become an AI power supplier.

xAI's Colossus in Memphis is permitted to run 15 gas turbines made by Solar Turbines, a Caterpillar subsidiary: about 250 MW (Shelby County permit, July 2025).

OpenAI's first Stargate site in Abilene, Texas, built by Crusoe, runs on a power plant that is about half Solar Titan turbines and half GE Vernova; the early phases had five of each, roughly 170 MW of Caterpillar power (Citrini, Aterio). OpenAI has since cancelled the Abilene expansion.

Chevron is building data-center power plants with seven GE Vernova turbines, aiming for up to 4 GW.

Oracle plans up to 2.8 GW of Bloom Energy fuel cells, 1.2 GW already contracted (Bloom, April 2026).

Why now: the big turbine makers are sold out for years. GE Vernova's gas backlog hit 116 GW and it is taking orders for 2031. Caterpillar's smaller machines can be running in under a year, and it has also signed 4 GW for Joule's Utah campus and 2 GW for American Intelligence & Power.

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Companies in this picture

Bloom EnergyCaterpillarChevronGE VernovaOpenAIOraclexAI

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