Boom Supersonic, a company known for its ambition to revive supersonic air travel, has unveiled a significant new venture into the energy sector. The company announced a backlog of more than $1.25 billion for its "Superpower" turbine, with AI infrastructure firm Crusoe as its launch customer. This strategic move is bolstered by a fresh $300 million funding round, signaling a dual-pronged approach to funding its primary aviation goals.
A Strategic Pivot to Power AI
The Superpower is a 42-megawatt natural gas turbine designed specifically to provide reliable energy for power-intensive AI data centers. Its key features include waterless operation and the ability to maintain full capacity in extreme heat, addressing critical constraints in data center development. This technology leverages Boom's expertise in designing high-performance engines for challenging thermal conditions.
CEO Blake Scholl has framed the Superpower turbine business as a self-sustaining revenue stream intended to help finance the Overture supersonic airliner. By creating a profitable power-generation product line, Boom aims to commercialize its core technology well before its aircraft enters service.
Technology and Financial Underpinnings
A significant synergy exists between the company's two major projects, as the Superpower turbine and the Symphony jet engine share a common engine core and supersonic technology foundation. This shared core, designed for sustained high-power output, accelerates development and provides crucial reliability data for the Overture program. The approach allows for parallel advancement on both the energy and aviation fronts, maximizing engineering resources.
The initiative is supported by a new $300 million Series B funding round led by Darsana Capital Partners, with participation from Altimeter Capital, ARK Invest, Bessemer Venture Partners, Robinhood Ventures and Y Combinator. This capital injection is earmarked to fully fund the development of the Symphony engine. Meanwhile, future revenues from the Superpower business will be channeled toward the certification and delivery of the Overture aircraft.
Market Impact and Future Outlook
The partnership with Crusoe, a leader in energy-first AI infrastructure, provides immediate market validation for Boom's new product. Crusoe has placed an initial order for 29 Superpower turbines to power its advanced data centers across its portfolio of energy assets. Chase Lochmiller, Crusoe's CEO, highlighted the initiative's alignment with his company's forward-thinking approach to building AI infrastructure.
Boom has set ambitious production targets, planning to ramp up to over four gigawatts of annual turbine production by 2030, supported by U.S.-based manufacturing. The Superpower turbine is designed to address a pressing need for scalable, on-demand power in hot and water-constrained environments, positioning the company to compete in the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market.
Boom Supersonic's announcement marks its evolution from an aviation startup into a diversified technology and energy company. By entering the AI data center power market, the firm has created an innovative pathway to fund its ultimate vision of supersonic passenger travel. This dual-mission strategy, while ambitious and operationally demanding, positions Boom to simultaneously accelerate the future of both artificial intelligence and flight.