CNBC deep dive into GE Vernova's gas turbine manufacturing and supply chain for AI data center power.
An exclusive look inside GE Vernova's largest gas turbine plant in Greenville, South Carolina reveals the intensity of industrial output driving the AI infrastructure boom. Engineers work alongside factory workers to accelerate production of these complex machines. The company hired 200 workers last year, with 300 more expected to begin work at the facility by year's end.
Hyperscalers—Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle among them—are racing to acquire GE Vernova's gas turbines to power their AI data centers. As these facilities consume enormous amounts of electricity and grid bottlenecks emerge, major technology companies increasingly turn to standalone energy sources like industrial turbines. "Right now, when you need power at scale and you need firm power, the industrial gas turbine is one of the leading solutions for that," said Pablo Koziner, chief commercial and operations officer at GE Vernova.
The opportunity has drawn leadership from OpenAI and peer organizations to deepen their understanding of industrial design and power generation. Executives from nearly every major hyperscaler have toured the factory floor, according to a person familiar with the visits who requested anonymity.
The turbines themselves are engineering feats—31 feet tall and weighing 280 tons each. A single unit can power roughly half a million homes. "When we think of what the world needs for electrification and what we need to power this AI surge that we're living, a lot of that stuff comes right out of this factory," Koziner said.
Microsoft recently purchased seven turbines to supply its Texas data center, generating 2.7 gigawatts of power—enough for approximately 3 million homes. GE Vernova turbines are already operational at Elon Musk's xAI Colossus 1 campus in Tennessee, and nearly a gigawatt more are being deployed at OpenAI's Stargate project in Texas, according to Cleanview, an organization that tracks data center development.
Demand vastly exceeds supply. GE Vernova's order book is full through 2029, with additional bookings extending into 2030 and 2031. Koziner noted that approximately 20 percent of the company's gas power order book now serves data center and AI applications.
A single turbine carries a price tag exceeding $250 million, according to industry estimates. Prices have surged 300 percent over the past three years, per Melius analysts—a trend underscoring why AI capital expenditure budgets continue climbing, a primary concern for technology investors. This surge has benefited GE Vernova substantially, with its stock gaining nearly 60 percent in the past six months.
Public opposition to data center development and mounting environmental concerns present potential headwinds for the AI infrastructure buildout. GE Vernova is addressing these challenges through sustainability improvements. "We also put a lot of time and effort into the sustainability of these machines," Koziner said. "And the turbine that you're looking at here is two times more efficient than a turbine that we would have produced 20 years ago."