Plug Power Stock Surges on Data Center Hydrogen Demand Speculation

Plug Power (PLUG) shares jumped as much as 15% Monday following growing speculation that its hydrogen technology could address the explosive power demands of AI data centers. The stock maintained an 11.9% gain by afternoon trading.

The rally coincides with reports of a potential $100 billion investment by a major tech firm in OpenAI's ChatGPT infrastructure. Such data center expansion could require at least 10GW of power—equivalent to electrifying 8 million homes—creating new opportunities for Plug's Georgia-based green hydrogen facility.

Market sentiment further benefited from last week's Federal Reserve rate cut, though no direct cryptocurrency correlation was identified. The move highlights how traditional energy innovators are gaining attention amid the AI boom's insatiable power requirements.