PowerCell Secures Multi-MW Hydrogen Fuel Cell Order for ECL's AI Data Center Campus

PowerCell Group has secured a significant order to supply hydrogen fuel cell systems for a major AI data center project in California, marking a strategic milestone in the company's push to establish power generation as a core business. The order, valued at approximately SEK 30 million, will equip ECL's CSC-1 AI data center campus in Santa Clara with multi-megawatt fuel cell capacity, demonstrating the growing role of hydrogen in addressing the energy constraints facing the AI industry.

The contract covers the delivery of PowerCell PS190 fuel cell systems, which will be integrated into ECL's FlexGrid microgrid architecture within containerized units. The installation represents an installed capacity in the 5 MW class and includes licenses for the PowerCell Distributed Master Controller (DMC). Deliveries under the contract are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. This order follows the successful deployment and operational validation of PowerCell's technology at ECL's MV-1 AI data center in Mountain View, California, where the PS190 systems and DMC have been operating in a real-world environment.

The CSC-1 campus is a 35 MW AI-optimized facility built on ECL's FlexGrid architecture, which combines grid power, batteries, natural gas, and hydrogen fuel cells into a resilient energy system. By integrating PowerCell's DMC with ECL's Lightning energy management platform, the hydrogen fuel cells become an integral part of the site's primary energy infrastructure, providing resilient, flexible, and highly available power specifically designed for AI workloads. This approach moves beyond using fuel cells solely as backup power, positioning them as a core component of the energy supply.

Richard Berkling, CEO of PowerCell Group, emphasized the strategic importance of the deal. "This order demonstrates how hydrogen fuel cells are becoming part of critical energy infrastructure. As demand for computing capacity accelerates, access to reliable power has become one of the industry's biggest constraints," Berkling said. He praised ECL for its pioneering work, noting that the company has "continuously operated liquid hydrogen-powered AI infrastructure over the past two years," adding that "technology matures through operation, and that experience has created a depth of application knowledge that few organizations have."

Yuval Bachar, Founder and CEO of ECL, highlighted the operational reality behind the decision. "Every AI roadmap we see is constrained by power, not imagination, funding or demand," Bachar stated. He explained that after evaluating multiple fuel cell technologies under real operating conditions at the MV-1 facility, ECL placed a firm order for the PS190 systems based on concrete operational data. "This is not a pilot or a proof of concept," he clarified. "Industrial deployment requires much more than high-performing fuel cells: it requires operational stability, digital energy orchestration and manufacturing capability. That combination is what PowerCell and Bosch bring to our next generation of AI infrastructure."

The collaboration brings together ECL's FlexGrid architecture and Lightning platform, PowerCell's industrialized hydrogen fuel cell systems, and Bosch's global manufacturing and service capabilities. Bosch, which is both PowerCell's largest shareholder and strategic manufacturing partner, provides industrial-scale production and local service support in North America. The project is expected to generate recurring revenue streams from software, service, and lifecycle support throughout the operational lifetime of the installation, further solidifying PowerCell's transition from a product supplier to a provider of integrated energy solutions. This order represents a key step in PowerCell's ambition to make power generation its second core business, alongside its marine division.