STOCKS | Meta and Alphabet Bet on Long-Duration Batteries for AI Power Demand

AI-driven electricity demand has triggered billions of dollars in clean-energy investment, including next-generation geothermal power, advanced nuclear reactors, and long-duration batteries. According to Sina Finance, developers are beginning to deploy long-duration storage systems at data centers, and experts said the move could help scale the technology and support greater use of renewable energy. Crusoe co-founder and President Cully Cavness said long-duration storage is an important part of the supporting technology stack for building AI infrastructure at an unprecedented scale. The company builds and operates AI data centers for technology giants. Long-duration storage refers to technologies that can store and release electricity for hours or even days, unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, which typically provide power for only a few hours. According to estimates, at least 150 gigawatt-hours of new long-duration storage projects in the U.S. have been announced, permitted, or financed since early 2025, more than five times the total planned U.S. capacity at the end of 2024, according to BloombergNEF. In Arizona, Alphabet is working with Italy's Energy Dome on carbon dioxide storage batteries for 10 hours of storage. Crusoe Energy is working with Form Energy to deploy iron-air batteries, while Meta has reached an agreement with California-based Noon Energy to deploy a storage system that can store renewable energy for 100 hours.