Tech Explained: Start-up unveils turquoise hydrogen-powered AI data centre system | Technology in Simple Terms

US-based infrastructure solutions start-up Endeavour has revealed a new system for powering AI data centres with turquoise hydrogen.

Named Pact, the system uses methane pyrolysis to produce hydrogen to provide power for technologies, while capturing carbon in the form of graphite.

It utilises a low-temperature catalytic reactor to separate hydrogen from methane, converting carbon from the reaction into solid graphite.

According to Endeavour, Pact can power generators to support systems upwards of 1GW, and claims the hydrogen it produces has a lower lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint than electrolysis-based hydrogen.

However, this claim will hinge on methane sourcing. The gas is a GHG some 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. When sourced from high-leak supply chains, the emissions benefit can be eroded.

Jakob Carnemark, CEO of Endeavour, said the system is one of a few deployable low-carbon solutions which can produce the vast power needed for AI data centres, and the first to capture carbon for further use.

While graphite as a byproduct represents a possible value lever for the system, its usability often depends heavily on purity, structure, and consistency.

Possible uses, however, include advanced semiconductors, electrical transmission cables, and low-carbon concretes.

The system’s development comes as AI data centre providers increasingly take up grid power demands and operators turn to alternative energy solutions.

Several providers, however, have been pivoting away from hydrogen-based options as they continue to face higher-than-predicted costs.