Boom Supersonic Pivots to AI Power Plants as Overture Timeline Slips

Boom Supersonic unveiled a Colorado factory this fall dedicated to building natural gas turbines for AI data centers, even as the airline that signed on as one of its first supersonic customers says the company's original jet-delivery date is already in doubt, according to Ars Technica.

What is Boom building instead of just airliners?

Boom CEO Blake Scholl framed the new factory as part of a broader mission, declaring "it's time for a renaissance in energy and in supersonic flight" at the facility's unveiling, Ars Technica reported. The plant manufactures gas turbines meant to power AI data centers — a second business line for a company still trying to certify its Overture supersonic airliner. Ars Technica noted that early backers of both ventures "have questioned the company's delivery timeline or backed out entirely."

Why does United's CEO doubt the 2029 target?

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, whose airline holds a conditional purchase agreement for Overture, said flatly that Boom will miss its own deadline. "'29 is their official timeline," Kirby told podcast host Monica Langley on the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast, which aired October 28, 2026. "It's not going to happen in '29 — it's going to take longer." Kirby said Boom still faces "a lot of hurdles to overcome" in developing and certifying Overture, adding, "So it's not a guarantee that they'll overcome," even as he praised Scholl and the company generally, per Ars Technica.

How did Boom get this far, and who backs it?

Boom flew its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft in 2024 and 2025 to prove out a "boomless cruise" concept, exploiting the Mach cutoff phenomenon so that shockwaves from flight just beyond supersonic speeds refract upward rather than reach the ground. The effort has federal backing: following a Trump executive order, the FAA in June 2026 proposed a rule overturning the long-standing U.S. ban on commercial supersonic flight. Boom has conditional agreements — backed by non-refundable deposits of undisclosed amounts — with American Airlines, Japan Airlines and United for Overture aircraft once certified.

What is happening to Boom's North Carolina factory?

The Overture production facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, was completed in 2024 but has mostly sat dormant since, Ars Technica reported, raising questions among state leaders who provided incentives tied to the project.

By the numbers

• 2029: Boom's publicly stated target for Overture certification and first paying passengers.
• 50-50: Kirby's earlier March 2026 estimate of the odds Overture enters commercial service at all.
• More than $50 million: North Carolina incentives tied to a Greensboro factory largely idle since 2024.

Timeline

• 2024–2025: Boom flies the XB-1 demonstrator to validate boomless cruise.
• March 2026: Kirby puts Overture's commercial-service odds at 50-50.
• June 2026: FAA proposes lifting the U.S. supersonic-flight ban after a Trump executive order.
• October 28, 2026: Kirby tells the Office Hours podcast 2029 "is not going to happen."
• October 30, 2026: Boom unveils its Colorado gas-turbine factory for AI data centers.

Boom did not immediately respond to Ars Technica's request for comment.