New York, Jan 13, 2026, 13:46 EST — Regular session
Bloom Energy Corp (NYSE:BE) shares climbed 5.8% to $144.82 on Tuesday, peaking at $145.75, following news that the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea inked a partnership memorandum with the company focused on power solutions for artificial intelligence data centers. (AMCHAM Korea)
The deal comes amid growing investor focus on a persistent bottleneck in AI expansion: electricity. Data-center operators are demanding more power, faster—and “faster” usually means generating it on-site instead of relying on slow grid upgrades.
Bloom sees the Korea factor as key since it signals demand beyond the U.S. deals fueling the narrative. Traders will be watching closely for any signs that headline agreements start translating into actual purchase orders and delivery timelines.
AmCham highlighted that the deal targets boosting the rollout of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) distributed power systems across South Korea’s next-gen AI data centers. “AI competitiveness hinges on power infrastructure beyond just the graphics processing unit,” said Choi Joon, CEO of Bloom Energy Korea. (Asiae)
The memorandum is non-binding, according to Data Center Dynamics. James Kim, AmCham’s chair and CEO, called the partnership “a concrete step toward deeper US-Korea cooperation.” Bloom promotes its SOFC units as electricity generators that use an electrochemical reaction instead of burning fuel — a setup claimed to boost efficiency and reduce emissions. (Data Center Dynamics)
Bloom surged ahead of its fuel-cell peers in U.S. trading. Plug Power climbed 3.1%, FuelCell Energy ticked up 2.4%, and Ballard Power edged higher by 0.7%.
South Korean media reported the signing ceremony took place at IFC The Forum in Yeouido, with Aaron Banks, a coordinator from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, in attendance. (Maeil Business Newspaper)
Bloom caught investors’ attention last week after American Electric Power revealed plans to purchase a large chunk of its option for Bloom’s solid oxide fuel cells. The deal, valued at roughly $2.65 billion, was reported by Reuters. (Reuters)
Tuesday’s MoU didn’t lay down any concrete volume, price, or timeline—details the market will be pushing for next. Should Korean projects hit snags in permits, financing, or customer commitments, the stock could easily lose its recent gains.
Investors are zeroed in on a simple set of details: names, megawatts, and dates. They’re also looking for any follow-up disclosures that prove Korea’s effort has shifted from mere promotion to actual procurement.
Next on the calendar: Bloom will be at PowerGen in San Antonio from Jan. 20-22. The company is promoting sessions focused on fuel cells tailored for data centers and other major power consumers. (Bloom Energy)
