Internal combustion engines and gensets: Value chain

How data centres sparked a gas-engine boom

What this tab covers Who does what, from equipment makers to builders, owners, operators, traders and users, with the leading companies at each step.

Engine power is a mature industry of large engine makers, genset packagers and dealer networks; data centres have created a boom in gas-engine plants, with single orders now in the gigawatts.

The chain

Engine makers Genset packagers Distributors, installers and developers Users

Stage	What happens	Leading companies
Engine makers	Design and cast engine blocks, crankshafts and fuel systems, from car engines to 18 MW power-plant engines.	Caterpillar (United States) Cummins (United States) Wärtsilä (Finland) INNIO Jenbacher (Austria) Rolls-Royce Power Systems, mtu (Germany and United Kingdom) Everllence (Germany) Weichai Power (China)¹⁴¹³
Genset packagers	Combine the engine with an alternator, controls, enclosure and fuel tank. Generac had 2025 sales of USD 4.2 billion and expects commercial and industrial sales to grow about 30% in 2026, mainly from data centres. Cummins sells standby and prime gensets from 2 kW to 3.5 MW and names Caterpillar, mtu and Kohler/SDMO (now Rehlko) as its main rivals.	Generac (United States) Cummins (United States) Rehlko, formerly Kohler Energy (United States) Caterpillar (United States) Rolls-Royce Power Systems, mtu (Germany) Volvo Penta (Sweden)⁴¹¹¹²¹³
Distributors, installers and developers	Sell, install and often run plants for clients, including power packs for data centres.	Clarke Energy (United Kingdom, part of Rehlko) VoltaGrid (United States) Hunt Energy (United States) EMPower (United States)⁴¹²
Users	Utilities for flexible balancing plants, data centres for primary and backup power, factories, hospitals and homes for backup, and vehicles and ships for propulsion. Rolls-Royce alone has installed more than 85,000 mtu emergency power systems.	Kerrville Public Utility Board (United States) Statera Energy (United Kingdom) Toyota (Japan, vehicle engines)²⁴

Sources

Weichai unveils diesel engine with 53.09% brake thermal efficiency DieselNet, 2024
Toyota Unveils More New Gasoline ICEs with 40% Thermal Efficiency SAE Mobility Engineering, 2018
Engine Power Plants Surge as Data Centers Drive Unprecedented Demand POWER Magazine, 2026
Generac reports fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results Generac Holdings, 2026
Kohler Energy changes name to Rehlko Equipment World, 2024
Cummins Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 Cummins / US SEC, 2026