Boom Supersonic Weighs Colorado Exit Over Data Center Rules

The Denver Gazette reports that Boom Supersonic is exploring a new use for its aircraft-engine technology: powering AI-driven data centers with compact natural-gas turbines. Boom claims its “Superpower” system could generate reliable, waterless electricity for energy-hungry data centers while also helping the company accelerate testing for its supersonic jet engines. Maybe it works. Maybe it does not. But the bigger story is that a Denver-based aerospace company is openly weighing whether Colorado is even worth the regulatory headache anymore.

Boom founder Blake Scholl warned that increasingly restrictive regulations and local moratoriums around data centers could drive companies elsewhere, saying states like Texas and North Carolina “would love to have us.” Meanwhile, Denver and Jefferson County recently imposed temporary pauses on new data center development while officials study impacts on power demand, water use, and infrastructure. Those are legitimate concerns. But at some point, “study the issue” becomes Colorado’s favorite way to say “no” without technically saying no.

The Bullet Point Brief

• Boom says its jet-engine technology could help solve data-center power demand. Fine. Treat that as a claim, not gospel. But at least somebody is trying to solve a problem instead of forming another advisory panel.
• The company is openly considering leaving Colorado over regulatory concerns. That should set off alarms in a state that constantly markets itself as an aerospace and innovation hub.
• Denver and Jefferson County imposed data-center moratoriums while policymakers “study” impacts on water, energy, and infrastructure. Colorado government loves innovation right up until innovation arrives with an electrical bill.
• Boom’s proposed turbine system reportedly runs on natural gas, requires no water, and could potentially sell electricity back to the grid. Whether that proves scalable remains to be seen. But the conversation itself matters because AI, electrification, and modern industry all require actual power generation, not hashtags.
• Colorado increasingly talks about economic development like it is a press release instead of a serious competition with other states that actually want the jobs.

My Bottom Line

The Colorado I remember had an adventuresome spirit.

We are westerners. We take calculated risks. We remain open-minded. We innovate. We build. We figure things out. Or at least we used to.

Now too much of Colorado’s political culture feels fundamentally regressive despite constantly branding itself “progressive.” The answer to almost every new idea is regulation, delay, moratorium, study group, working group, environmental review, permitting maze, or some version of “no.” Unless, of course, the proposal involves social experimentation or climate theater. Then apparently the sky is the limit.

Look, I understand growth pressures are real. Water matters. Infrastructure matters. Energy demand matters. Communities deserve input. Fine. Have those conversations honestly. But somewhere along the way Colorado stopped asking, “How do we make this work?” and started asking, “How do we slow this down?”

That is dangerous.

Maybe Boom’s engine-powered data-center pitch works brilliantly. Maybe it fizzles. That is not really the point. The point is that a serious aerospace company headquartered in Denver is openly questioning whether Colorado still wants companies like theirs here at all.

That should bother people.

Colorado says it wants AI. It wants aerospace. It wants clean tech. It wants innovation. It wants high-wage jobs. It wants advanced manufacturing. It wants the future. But then policymakers layer on rules like a toddler helping pack a suitcase: everything gets stuffed in, nothing fits, and eventually somebody else has to carry the mess.

Meanwhile, energy demand keeps rising because modern civilization requires electricity. AI requires electricity. Data centers require electricity. Electrification requires electricity. Modern economies require infrastructure. You cannot run a technologically advanced society entirely on slogans, permitting delays, and Patagonia-vest TED Talks about sustainability.

And this is the contradiction Colorado refuses to confront honestly: elected officials increasingly treat energy demand itself like a moral failing instead of the predictable consequence of economic growth and technological progress.

That is not stewardship. That is economic malpractice with a Patagonia vest.

Smart states read warning lights early. Dumb states blame the dashboard.

Colorado better decide which one it wants to be.

Source: The Denver Gazette