Bloom Energy claims 800V DC fuel cells can cut AI data center costs

Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) released a report claiming its 800V DC-native fuel cell technology could reduce non-compute capital expenditures for a 1 gigawatt AI data center by $3.6 billion, or 27%, and five-year total cost of ownership by $5.5 billion, or 9%, compared to traditional AC power solutions.

The company says its solid oxide fuel cells generate 800V DC power electrochemically and on-site, eliminating the need to convert AC power to DC — a process required when drawing from the grid, onsite turbines, or reciprocating engines. According to Bloom Energy, removing those conversion stages reduces electrical infrastructure requirements, lowers energy losses, and decreases reliance on components such as transformers and switchgear, which the company says face supply constraints and multi-year lead times.

The report notes that Nvidia has specified 800V DC architecture for its Rubin Ultra and Kyber rack platforms, beginning in 2027 and continuing for subsequent generations.

Bloom Energy's separate 2026 Mid-Year Data Center Power Report found that data center operators expect DC-based architectures to represent 58% of new deployments by 2030.

"AI is not just increasing electricity demand. It is catalyzing a positive transformation of how power is generated and consumed by becoming the first scale adopter of both onsite and DC power," said KR Sridhar, founder, chairman and CEO of Bloom Energy.

The company noted that its economic analysis is based on a cost-of-ownership model for a 1 GW compute data center using next-generation AI rack assumptions, and that actual project economics will vary based on site design, energy prices, equipment costs, and other project-specific factors.

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