PowerCell secures multi-MW order for AI data center

PowerCell’s PS190 fuel cell systems will be integrated into ECL’s FlexGrid microgrid architecture. (Photo: ECL)

Swedish hydrogen fuel cell producer PowerCell Group has secured an order to supply hydrogen fuel cell systems for ECL’s CSC-1 AI data center campus in Santa Clara, Calif. The contract is valued at approximately SEK 30 million (USD $3.1 million), with deliveries scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.

In addition to the purchase order, PowerCell and ECL have signed a separate non-binding MOU for approximately 300 MW of additional hydrogen capacity. In addition, the project is expected to create opportunities for recurring software, service and lifecycle revenues throughout the operational lifetime of the installation.

ECL is a U.S.-based company specializing in community integrated, flex-grid, modular AI data center solutions. CSC-1 is a 35-MW AI-optimized campus based on ECL’s FlexGrid architecture, combining grid power, batteries, natural gas and hydrogen fuel cells into a resilient energy system.

The collaboration will combine ECL’s FlexGrid microgrid architecture and Lightning energy management platform with PowerCell’s industrialized hydrogen fuel cell systems and Bosch’s manufacturing and service capabilities. Bosch is both PowerCell’s largest shareholder and strategic manufacturing partner, providing industrial-scale production together with local service capabilities in North America.

Yuval Bachar, founder and CEO of ECL (left) and Richard Berkling, CEO of PowerCell (right). (Photo: ECL)

The PS190 fuel cell systems will be integrated into the FlexGrid microgrid architecture in containerized units, representing an installed capacity in the 5-MW class. The order also includes licenses for PowerCell’s Distributed Master Controller (DMC).

The DMC will be combined with ECL’s Lightning energy management platform, enabling the hydrogen fuel cells to become integrated into the site’s primary energy infrastructure rather than serving as backup power. According to PowerCell, this will demonstrate the growing role of resilient, distributed energy systems for mission-critical applications.

The order comes following the successful deployment and operational validation of the PS190 fuel cell systems and DMC at ECL’s MV-1 AI data center in Mountain View, Calif. It represents the next step in the strategic collaboration between ECL, PowerCell and Bosch to deploy industrial-scale hydrogen fuel cell solutions for AI infrastructure, PowerCell added.

“Over the past two years we have continuously operated and optimized liquid hydrogen-powered AI infrastructure at our MV-1 facility, evaluating multiple fuel cell technologies under real operating conditions before selecting PowerCell,” said Yuval Bachar, founder and CEO of ECL. “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, enabling us to scale resilient power systems significantly faster than conventional alternatives.”

“By continuously refining and optimizing the installation, ECL has helped demonstrate what it takes to make hydrogen part of primary energy infrastructure rather than simply backup power,” added Richard Berkling, CEO of PowerCell Group. “Together with ECL and Bosch, we are combining that application knowledge with industrialized fuel cell technology, digital energy orchestration and global manufacturing capability to deliver resilient energy systems ready for commercial scale.”