Breakthrough Energy announced its sixth cohort of Breakthrough Energy Fellows on September 22, 2026. The 2026 Breakthrough Energy Fellows cohort consists of 21 startups focused on clean energy innovation.

The selected companies are working across multiple sectors, including fusion power, hydrogen transport, and semiconductor processing. Borealis Fusion is a member of the 2026 Breakthrough Energy Fellows cohort. The company is pursuing fusion power using proton-boron fuel.

StarWarden is a member of the 2026 Breakthrough Energy Fellows cohort. StarWarden is working on heat management technology for future reactors.

Semiconductor technologies are also represented in the new group. Bedrock Semiconductor is a member of the 2026 Breakthrough Energy Fellows cohort. K1 Semiconductor is developing a method to process gallium nitride and silicon carbide. VariFlux is a member of the 2026 Breakthrough Energy Fellows cohort.

Hydrogen infrastructure projects include two companies in the cohort. Ammovolt Energy is a member of the 2026 Breakthrough Energy Fellows cohort. AmHyTech and Ammovolt Energy are developing ways to use and transport hydrogen with ammonia.

Benjamin Gaddy is serving as acting director of the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program. He commented on the potential of the fusion technology being pursued by Borealis Fusion. "If they can do it, you could get to much lower cost of energy," Gaddy said.

He also addressed the semiconductor innovations within the cohort. "You could reduce the cost of these power electronics by maybe 50%, maybe more," he added.

Eric Toone is a managing partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Toone discussed the broader implications of electrification and data center growth on energy demand. "Electrifying everything implies a 3x increase in demand for electricity," Toone said.

He noted the historical context of electricity usage trends. "Data centers are a 10% bump against basically flat demand for electricity over the last 30 years," he said. He also described the versatility of hydrogen as an energy source. "Hydrogen is the Swiss Army Knife of energy. If you have enough hydrogen, and importantly if it's cheap enough, you can do anything," he said. Regarding current hydrogen infrastructure, he stated, "There’s pretty close to zero installed capacity in this country."

The announcement comes with projections of growth in U.S. energy consumption. Energy demand in the United States is expected to increase by 60% between 2025 and 2045. Artificial intelligence data centers are projected to consume 11.8% of total U.S. electricity by 2030. U.S. electricity demand increased by 10% between 2005 and 2025.

Leadership changes have occurred within the organization recently. Ashley Grosh previously led the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program. Ashley Grosh departed Breakthrough Energy to become a partner at WovenEarth Ventures. This marks a leadership transition within the organization.

Other industry players are also addressing the rising power needs of artificial intelligence. Bloom Energy has secured $25 billion in financing for AI-related power infrastructure projects. Brookfield Asset Management expanded its agreement with Bloom Energy to fund AI-related power infrastructure projects.

KR Sridhar is the CEO of Bloom Energy. "Bloom is now a standard for AI onsite power," Sridhar said.

Why It Matters

The selection of these 21 startups occurs against a backdrop of rapidly increasing electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence and broader electrification efforts. With data centers projected to account for a 10% bump against flat electricity demand over the last 30 years and overall demand expected to rise by 60% over the next two decades, the technologies developed by this cohort aim to address critical gaps in energy supply and efficiency. The focus on fusion, advanced semiconductors, and hydrogen transport reflects a strategic effort to diversify energy sources and reduce costs in key sectors.

Timeline

On September 22, 2026, Bedrock Semiconductor was named a member of the 2026 Breakthrough Energy Fellows cohort. On the same date, it was confirmed that the 2026 Breakthrough Energy Fellows cohort consists of 21 startups. Also on September 22, 2026, Eric Toone stated that data centers are a 10% bump against basically flat demand for electricity over the last 30 years. On that date, Benjamin Gaddy said, "If they can do it, you could get to much lower cost of energy." On that same day, Eric Toone said, "Hydrogen is the Swiss Army Knife of energy. If you have enough hydrogen, and importantly if it's cheap enough, you can do anything." He also noted on September 22, 2026, that there’s pretty close to zero installed capacity in this country. On that date, he added that electrifying everything implies a 3x increase in demand for electricity.

What's New

Ashley Grosh, who previously led the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program, left in 2026 to join WovenEarth Ventures as a partner, marking a leadership transition within the organization. Breakthrough Energy Fellows was launched in 2015 as part of Breakthrough Energy's broader mission to accelerate clean energy innovation across multiple sectors, including manufacturing, electricity, agriculture, transportation, and buildings. Borealis Fusion, which is pursuing proton-boron fusion technology, has been reported to have potential to significantly reduce the cost of energy if successful, according to Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

KR Sridhar stated that "Bloom is now a standard for AI onsite power."