Boom Supersonic announced plans to hire 500 people and open a new manufacturing plant near Centennial Airport in Colorado. Colorado Governor Jared Polis said the expansion represents a $150 million investment.

The new factory will not build Boom's supersonic jets, which the company hopes to put into commercial service in 2030. Instead, it will produce a natural gas turbine called Superpower, designed to let data centers generate their own electricity without drawing on the grid or using cooling water.

Boom founder and CEO Blake Scholl described the turbine as a 42-megawatt unit that runs on technology developed for supersonic aircraft. Scholl said the company is prioritizing ground power first, expanding turbine production before returning to the aircraft and its North Carolina factory.

Boom, headquartered near Centennial Airport since 2016, employs about 165 people and has raised more than $700 million from investors. Last year its XB-1 became the first independently developed supersonic jet to break the sound barrier.

Source: The Colorado Sun