GPU cloud provider CoreWeave is to deploy Bloom fuel cells at one of its data centers.
Bloom's solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) will be used to generate on-site power for CoreWeave at a data center owned by Chirisa Technology Parks located in Volo, Illinois. The fuel cells are set to be commissioned in Q3 2025, though the size of the deployment wasn’t shared.
Aman Joshi, Bloom Energy’s chief commercial officer, said: “This validation from CoreWeave, a leader in AI, is a testament to our leading-edge technology and its importance to AI.”
Brian Venturo, CoreWeave’s chief strategy officer, added: “We’re proud to partner with Bloom Energy and utilize their industry-leading solid oxide fuel cell technology.
“This partnership will allow us to deliver unmatched performance and reliability to our customers while advancing our sustainability objectives.”
SOFC systems operate at a high temperature, which gives them a slower startup time than less efficient lower-temperature PEMFC cells, but they still start up faster than alternative fuel-burning systems such as gas turbines and diesels and operate more efficiently than turbines when running at partial loads.
Bloom's fuel cells can be deployed as a grid parallel system in conjunction with utility power, enabling the data center to operate in a fully separate microgrid when needed. Customers include Intel, Equinix, JPMorgan Chase, Nxtra, and AWS, among others. As of February 2024, the company said it had sold around five gigawatts' worth of power globally cross all of its business units.
CTP owns a 50-acre site in Volo previously occupied by HSBC/Capital One. The first 14MW building on the site, known as YLO-01, spans 160,000 sq ft (14,865 sq m). The second building, YLO-02, will add 14MW and build out an existing 160,000 sq ft shell. Another 150,000 sq ft building is planned in the future, according to CTP’s website.
Founded in 2017 and originally focused on crypto and blockchain applications, CoreWeave has invested heavily in its cloud offering, providing access to GPUs for AI applications. The company has since raised billions of dollars in equity and billions more in debt financing.
The company currently lists three data center regions in documentation on its website; US East in Weehawken, New Jersey (also known as LGA1); US West in Las Vegas, Nevada (aka LAS1); and US Central in Chicago (aka ORD1), Illinois. Its status page also lists regions in Reno (aka RNO2) and US East-02.
CoreWeave has been on a major leasing spree in the last 18 months, and has said that it expects to operate 28 by the end of 2024, up from 14 at the end of 2023.
The company has signed leasing deals with the likes of Lincoln Rackhouse, Chirisa, Flexential, TierPoint, Digital Realty, and Core Scientific for data centers across the US, including in Texas, Virginia, Georgia, and Oregon.
It is also expanding in Europe, with EdgeConneX a confirmed provider in Spain.
