NTT Data signs 900MW fuel cell deal with Bloom Energy

NTT Data signed a 900MW deployment agreement with Bloom Energy for on-site solid oxide fuel cells to power data centers worldwide, with first shipments expected in 2027. Terms were not disclosed.

Data Center Dynamics reported the agreement is Bloom Energy's largest with a single data center developer.

For infrastructure allocators, the capacity is contracted on-site generation rather than grid-supplied load, so it can come online alongside construction instead of after an interconnection. The fuel profile is the main underwriting consideration. Bloom's solid oxide units can run on hydrogen, but at present the vast majority rely on natural gas, adding gas demand at the fence line and the siting risk that gas supply carries.

"Our clients are building AI capabilities at a pace the grid alone cannot always match," said Doug Adams, chief executive of NTT Global Data Centers. He said the fuel cells protect local air quality, use minimal water and run quietly.

Bloom expanded an agreement with Oracle this year to supply up to 2.8GW, after an initial 1.2GW deal last year. Its generators convert fuel into electricity through an electrochemical process without combustion. Deployments at Oracle's Jupiter data center in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, have drawn opposition to a gas pipeline extension meant to feed the fuel cells.

NTT Data is in talks to develop a $6.3 billion data center in western Japan for Anthropic, according to October reports. Bloom is weighing a 1 GW fuel cell program with CRC paired with carbon capture and storage of up to three million metric tons of CO2 a year, as Private Wealth Daily previously reported.