Doosan Fuel Cell is set to make its debut in the U.S. power market by supplying fuel cells for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers through its American subsidiary, HyAxiom.
The company announced on Wednesday that it has inked a deal with HyAxiom to provide phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC) valued at approximately 501.4 billion KRW (about 367 million USD). These units will be delivered to HyAxiom in phases from the latter half of this year through early 2028, with HyAxiom then supplying them to AI data centers across the United States.
HyAxiom’s responsibilities span research and development (R&D), sales, engineering, project execution, commissioning, and long-term service agreements (LTSA) throughout North America and Europe.
Doosan Fuel Cell, operating from its global production hub in Iksan, has an impressive track record of over 800 MW in installations. The company not only supplies products to domestic and international clients, including HyAxiom, but also manages sales and LTSA services across Asia, including South Korea.
Major tech companies are increasingly adopting on-site power generation facilities near their data centers, with fuel cells emerging as a promising solution.
On-site power generation refers to decentralized energy sources installed and operated directly where power is needed. This approach reduces strain on transmission and distribution networks while boosting energy efficiency and supply reliability.
Doosan Fuel Cell’s products meet the North American data center market’s stringent requirements for power reliability, ease of maintenance, and load responsiveness, thanks to their high efficiency and continuous operation capabilities.
The close partnership between Doosan Fuel Cell and HyAxiom enables installations at U.S. customer sites within about a year of contract signing, ensuring timely power supply that aligns with data center construction timelines. The modular design also allows for scalable expansion to meet growing power demands.
Depending on customer requirements, the heat generated during fuel cell operation can be harnessed for data center cooling through absorption chillers and heat pumps. Given that cooling consumes a significant portion of data center power, this integrated approach to power generation and cooling is a key differentiator for PAFC technology. As green hydrogen infrastructure develops, these facilities can be adapted to run on hydrogen fuel, supporting carbon neutrality goals.
Doosan Fuel Cell has proactively secured an annual production capacity of approximately 275 MW and is exploring further expansions to meet anticipated demand growth.
A spokesperson for Doosan Fuel Cell stated that this contract validates our competitiveness in the critical U.S. market, offering a behind-the-meter (BTM) solution that addresses the power bottleneck challenges faced by data centers in the AI era. It plans to leverage this opportunity to secure additional orders in the North American market, emphasizing the ability to deliver rapid deployment and scalable solutions.