ECL and PowerCell Announce 300 MW+ Hydrogen Power Strategic Partnership for AI Data Centers, Supported by Bosch

ECL and PowerCell Group AB (publ) announced a strategic partnership to deploy industrial-grade hydrogen fuel cell power across ECL's AI data center platform. The agreement comprises a firm purchase order for PowerCell PS190 fuel cell systems, alongside a separate non-binding memorandum of understanding between ECL and PowerCell for approximately 300 MW of additional hydrogen fuel cell capacity as ECL expands its FlexGrid data center footprint. The partnership is underpinned by PowerCell's industrial partnership with Bosch, its manufacturing partner and largest shareholder, which provides the manufacturing foundation to deliver at industrial scale.

Initial deployment begins at ECL's 35MW CSC-1 campus in Santa Clara, California, where containerized PowerCell fuel cell systems will integrate into ECL's FlexGrid microgrid architecture alongside grid power, natural gas and battery storage. The deployment expands on an existing PowerCell deployment at ECL's MV-1 facility in Mountain View, California, where hydrogen has been used as the primary power source for more than two years.

“We evaluated multiple fuel cell technologies under real operating conditions over two years at our MV-1 facility before selecting PowerCell and Bosch,” said Yuval Bachar, founder and CEO of ECL. “This is not a pilot or a proof of concept. We are deploying these PowerCell PS190 units with the operational data to back it up, and we are signing an MOU for an additional 300 MW because the demand from AI operators for power in constrained markets far exceeds what any single grid connection can deliver.”

PowerCell, which 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 applications. Bosch, PowerCell's largest shareholder and strategic manufacturing partner, provides large-scale production capability and U.S.-based service infrastructure to support ECL deployments.

“ECL is among the very few operators who not only run hydrogen in production but understand how to orchestrate it intelligently alongside storage and other energy sources as one integrated system,” said Richard Berkling, CEO of PowerCell Group. “Our firm order for PowerCell PS190 systems, alongside our broader non-binding MOU, sends a clear signal that hydrogen-powered AI data centers are moving from first-of-kind toward industrial scale.”

Bosch supports this scalable approach by providing the industrial manufacturing foundation. The company also delivers the local North American service needed to integrate these hydrogen systems into core data center infrastructure. “Bringing hydrogen fuel cells to industrial scale requires more than strong technology; it requires manufacturing discipline, predictable quality and dependable lifecycle support,” said Thilo Müller, Senior Vice President Fuel Cell Business at Bosch. “Bosch is proud to bring that industrial foundation to the partnership with PowerCell and ECL. Our goal is to turn promising technology into reliable, long-term infrastructure.”

PowerCell's Distributed Master Controller platform will integrate with ECL's Lightning real-time management system to manage dynamic load balancing across fuel cells, batteries, the grid, and natural gas at each FlexGrid site.

ECL is accepting tenant inquiries for AI infrastructure deployments in 2027-2028. 

ECL | www.ecldc.com

PowerCell | www.powercellgroup.com

Bosch Power Solutions | https://www.manufacturing-co-intelligence.com/