Breakthrough Energy backs 21 startups as electrification could triple global power demand
Tuesday, 22 September 2026, 17:03
The next energy shock may come from far beyond artificial intelligence. A new startup cohort is betting on technologies built for a fully electrified economy.
While the market’s attention is focused on the increase in electricity consumption by artificial intelligence data centers, Breakthrough Energy is preparing for a far broader transformation. It involves the electrification of industry, transportation, heating, and other sectors of the economy.
Data centers are adding about 10% to electricity demand, which had essentially remained stable over the past 30 years. That is a noticeable increase, but it is also a signal of a much larger surge in demand ahead.
– Eric Toone, managing partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures
According to Eric Toone, fully electrifying the economy could roughly triple global electricity demand. Through the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program, the fund supports startups developing technologies for decarbonization and climate adaptation.
21 startups in Breakthrough Energy’s focus
The program’s sixth cohort includes 21 young companies. Their work spans nuclear fusion, semiconductors, hydrogen, agriculture, robotics, and power supply for data centers.
The program’s participants include:
• Borealis Fusion – a nuclear fusion technology based on proton-boron fuel. The approach uses widely available materials but requires extremely high temperatures.
• StarWarden – heat-removal systems for future fusion reactors.
• Bedrock Semiconductor, K1 Semiconductor, and Vari Flux – solutions to improve the efficiency of semiconductors and data center energy infrastructure.
• AmyHyTech and Ammovolt Energy – technologies for using and transporting hydrogen in the form of ammonia.
Hydrogen could be a universal energy tool. If it is available in sufficient quantities and remains inexpensive, it could be used almost anywhere. The problem is the lack of infrastructure for transporting it, and ammonia could be one way to build that infrastructure.
Other participants in the program are developing molecular sensors for the early detection of crop diseases. The cohort also includes robotic systems for extracting minerals from the seabed with minimal environmental impact.
K1 Semiconductor is working on more efficient ways to produce materials, including gallium nitride and silicon carbide. According to Benjamin Gaddy, the technology could potentially cut the cost of power electronics by roughly half or even more.
Decarbonization will take longer and be more difficult than many expected. That is why, alongside reducing emissions, we must develop technologies to adapt to a warmer climate.
The fund invests in more than emissions reduction
This year’s cohort shows that Breakthrough Energy is focused not only on preventing global warming. Some of the startups are developing solutions to help agriculture, industry, and energy systems adapt to its consequences.
Following the departure of Ashley Grosh, who previously led the program, senior director Benjamin Gaddy is serving as its interim head. The fund plans to continue supporting high-risk technology projects capable of having a major impact on the development of energy systems and the economy’s resilience to climate change.
- Material Scale launches to help climate tech startups overcome production challenges by connecting them with buyers and providing hybrid debt-equity funding.
- Former Google DeepMind researchers have launched Fusionality, a Lausanne startup developing hardware, software and AI tools to control fusion reactors.
- Daimler Truck plans to invest hundreds of millions of euros in hydrogen trucks by 2030 while continuing to develop battery-electric vehicles for cleaner freight transport.
