Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy bets these 21 startups will shape energy’s future
Breakthrough Energy Ventures has announced its sixth cohort of 21 startups focused on addressing the anticipated tripling of global electricity demand driven by electrification. The selected companies are pursuing diverse technologies, including nuclear fusion, semiconductor efficiency, and hydrogen transport via ammonia. Additionally, the portfolio includes initiatives aimed at climate adaptation, reflecting a strategic shift toward managing the impacts of a warming world alongside decarbonization efforts.
- ▪Managing partner Eric Toone stated that data centers are a precursor to a massive increase in electricity demand as countries electrify their economies.
- ▪The cohort includes Borealis Fusion, which is developing proton-boron fusion power, and StarWarden, which is working on heat management for future reactors.
- ▪Startups like K1 Semiconductor are developing methods to reduce the cost of power electronics by up to 50% to improve data center efficiency.
- ▪Several fellows are working on using ammonia to transport hydrogen, addressing the lack of existing infrastructure for moving hydrogen.
- ▪The program includes startups focused on climate adaptation, acknowledging that decarbonization will take longer and be harder than initially hoped.
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While the world is focused on the power demands of AI data centers, the folks at Breakthrough Energy are paying attention, but not for the reasons you might think. “Data centers are a 10% bump against basically flat demand for electricity over the last 30 years. So it looks like a big bump, but data centers are absolutely the canary in the coal mine,” Eric Toone, managing partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, told TechCrunch. “You’re chasing a coming massive increase in demand for electricity.” That demand is forecast to surge as countries electrify entire sectors of their economies to rein in carbon emissions. “Electrifying everything implies a 3x increase in demand for electricity,” Toone said.
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