Swedish fuel cell maker PowerCell Group and US off-grid data center operator ECL unveiled a strategic partnership on July 14, 2026 to deploy industrial-grade hydrogen fuel cell power across ECL's AI data center platform. The deal pairs a firm purchase order for PowerCell's PS190 stationary fuel cell systems with a separate, non-binding MOU covering approximately 300 MW of additional capacity as ECL rolls out its FlexGrid architecture.
Where The First Systems Land
Initial deployment begins at ECL's 35 MW CSC-1 campus in Santa Clara, California. Containerized PowerCell fuel cell units will integrate into ECL's FlexGrid microgrid alongside grid power, natural gas and battery storage, orchestrated by ECL's Lightning real-time energy management platform and PowerCell's Distributed Master Controller. The deployment builds on more than two years of continuous hydrogen operation at ECL's MV-1 facility in Mountain View.
Bosch Brings The Factory
PowerCell's manufacturing partner and largest shareholder, Bosch, underpins the deal. Bosch will provide industrial-scale production and North American service coverage for PS190 systems. "Bringing hydrogen fuel cells to industrial scale requires more than strong technology; it requires manufacturing discipline, predictable quality and dependable lifecycle support," said Thilo Muller, Senior Vice President of Bosch's Fuel Cell Business.
Power, Not Imagination
ECL founder and CEO Yuval Bachar framed the deal in blunt terms: "Every AI roadmap we see is constrained by power, not imagination, funding or demand." He said ECL has continuously optimised liquid hydrogen-powered AI infrastructure at MV-1 for two years and evaluated multiple fuel cell technologies under real operating conditions before selecting PowerCell. The 300 MW MOU, he added, reflects operator demand for capacity in constrained markets that far exceeds what any single grid connection can deliver.
Signal For Hydrogen-Powered Compute
PowerCell CEO Richard Berkling said the firm order together with the broader MOU sends a "clear signal that hydrogen-powered AI data centers are moving from first-of-kind toward industrial scale." The company, spun out of the Volvo Group, brings more than 25 years of fuel cell experience and over one million hours of field data across automotive, marine and stationary power. The MOU remains non-binding, with future capacity subject to definitive agreements.
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Reporting based on coverage from Renewable Energy Magazine, Hydrogen Insight and PowerCell Group.