Boom Supersonic: The Supersonic Airliner That Pivoted to AI Power

In October 2026, Denver, Colorado, opened a factory that manufactures neither chips nor servers, but gas turbines. Boom Supersonic, a company that has spent years trying to resurrect commercial supersonic flights, announced the inauguration of its new facility dedicated to producing the Superpower — a stationary version of its Symphony engine, designed to power artificial intelligence data centers. The pivot is ambitious, but the signs are not encouraging: United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby stated in October that Boom's 2029 delivery date for the Overture "is not going to happen" and that "it's going to take a lot longer." Before that, Crusoe — its first customer in the energy business — had walked away from a $1.25 billion contract.

Boom's dual bet

Boom Supersonic was founded in 2014 by Blake Scholl, a SpaceX veteran, with the mission of restoring to the skies the speed that the world seemed to have abandoned with the Concorde. In 2024 and 2025, the company flew its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft, attempting to prove that it is possible to cross the North American continent in "boomless cruise" — a technical concept that relies on the Mach cutoff phenomenon, where shock waves are refracted upward at specific altitudes.

In June 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a rule that would overturn decades of prohibition on commercial supersonic flights over U.S. territory, following an executive order from President Trump. The regulatory landscape appeared favorable. Boom announced it would certify the Overture and carry its first paying passengers by 2029, with conditional agreements with United Airlines, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines.

But Boom was not counting only on the skies. In the same year, the company launched the Superpower — a stationary turbine that shares approximately 80% of its parts with the Symphony, the air engine of the Overture. The idea was elegant in theory: sell natural gas turbines to AI data centers, use the cash flow to fund aircraft development. Crusoe, a data center startup providing computing power for OpenAI, signed on as the first customer, agreeing to purchase 29 turbines at 42 MW each for $1.25 billion, with deliveries expected to begin in 2027.

The first customer walks away

In September 2026, Crusoe abandoned the plan. Scholl announced on social media that the partnership had ended because "turbines are no longer part of Crusoe's near-term primary power mix." Crusoe, for its part, responded that "the energy plans haven't changed" — only that they still intend to use turbines, "just not Boom's." Spokesperson Andrew Schmitt said Crusoe "stays flexible, choosing the energy solutions best suited for each site."

The loss of the launch customer is a significant blow. Boom had raised $300 million in December 2025 primarily to commercialize the turbine business. Scholl told TechCrunch that the company still expects to deliver around 250 MW of Superpower next year to other customers and reach 1 GW by 2028.

"It's not going to happen in '29"

Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, was even more direct. In an interview on the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast published on October 28, 2026, he characterized Boom's schedule as unrealistic.

"'29 is their official timeline. It's not going to happen in '29. It's going to take a lot longer," Kirby told the podcast's host, Monica Langley. United was one of Boom's earliest customers, but Kirby has not canceled his commitment — he has simply made clear that he is no longer convinced by the timeline.

Kirby's statement carries particular weight. He is not an external analyst, but a customer who has already invested in Boom's promise. United, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines hold conditional agreements to purchase the Overture, with non-refundable deposits — though no values were disclosed. If United doubts, the uncertainty about the schedule multiplies for the other partners.

The AI energy dilemma

Boom's shift toward data center turbines is not merely a corporate matter — it is a symptom of something larger. The demand for data center energy is growing at an unprecedented pace. Crusoe raised $3.9 billion in September 2026 to build "small modular AI factories," and Boom itself is trying to sell its turbine as the energy solution for these ventures.

The paradox is that the same rush for AI infrastructure that powers promises of supercomputing also creates new demands for energy. Natural gas turbines remain the most readily available technology for generating large-scale energy in real time, but they face resistance from investors and regulators concerned about emissions.

Boom sits at the center of this tension. Its supersonic aircraft needs an engine that flies at over Mach 1.7; its stationary turbine needs the same engine, but parked, powering servers. These are two markets in two completely different industries, sharing the same technological core.

What to watch

The Overture is an aircraft attempting to rewrite 60 years of supersonic aviation history, which began and ended with the Concorde. The Superpower turbine is a product attempting to prove that AI energy infrastructure needs new solutions beyond grid electricity. Both bets depend on the same engine.

2027 will be a decisive year for Boom: if it can deliver any units of Superpower and keep energy partners, it will have proof that the turbine business survives. If it fails, the Overture loses its secondary funding source and the 2029 schedule may become a full generation into the future.

Sources: TechCrunch, Mondo News, Forbes

✓ Independent sources cross-checked and verified before publishing