On March 10, 2026, approximately 50 guests gathered at THE SQUAIRE Conference Center in Frankfurt am Main for the first GDA Net[t]work Lunch of the year. The focus was on how fuel cells can accelerate the deployment of AI data centers in Germany.
Technical Insights and Keynotes
The technical session kicked off with a keynote by Ingo Fischer, Director of Germany & Austria at Bloom Energy, on the topic “Fuel Cells for Data Centers: Efficient On-Site Generation and Faster Time to Power.” Arnaud Jouvin, Vice President of Investments at Brookfield Renewable, then highlighted the strategic prospects for scaling these technologies in a presentation titled “Funding the Technology of Choice to Unlock AI: The Brookfield-Bloom Partnership.”
Discussion and Outlook
The ensuing discussion focused on the challenges of ensuring a reliable and sustainable energy supply for data centers. In particular, participants discussed how on-site generation concepts and fuel cell technology can help shorten time-to-power, enhance efficiency and resilience, and open up new avenues for the decarbonization of AI data centers.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Birkner (House of Energy e. V.), Matthias Natterer (FORTYTWO-N AG), Manuel Gerdsmeyer (RheinEnergie AG), and Reto Zueger (Bloom Energy) enriched the discussion with their perspectives from academia, the energy sector, and industry.
Exchange and Networking
Following the event, a joint lunch provided an opportunity for in-depth discussions and networking.
The German Datacenter Association would like to thank all speakers and guests for the constructive exchange, as well as Bloom Energy for its hospitality.
