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New York Climate Week reveals a growing divide within climate tech companies over the expansion of AI data centers. Demand for energy and infrastructure associated with AI has helped several companies attract funding, but it has diverted attention from other climate fields.
Panasonic Energy aims to raise revenue from its energy storage systems business for data centers to 1 trillion yen in fiscal 2028, three times the 2025 level, with investments of 350 billion yen between 2026 and 2028. Growth is focused on lithium-ion battery-based BBU units, which provide backup power and reduce peak loads in AI data centers.
Mitsubishi Materials announced the development of a technology to purify hafnium, a rare metal used in semiconductor and nuclear energy applications, with samples scheduled to become available during 2026 and commercial production targeted for 2028. The company did not disclose the purity level, technology cost, or expected production volume in the available material.