This story has been updated with additional information.
Akron-based power generator Babcock & Wilcox is taking further steps to propel and benefit from the growth of artificial intelligence data centers.
B&W announced Aug. 11 that it has signed a deal with Siemens Energy to begin work on 20, 50-megawatt steam turbine generator sets – totaling one gigawatt – to generate power for AI data centers.
The agreement follows another deal with Siemens that B&W announced in January, the company said in a news release. Through the deal announced in January, B&W will provide one gigawatt of power to an "AI Factory" for Dallas-based data center developer Applied Digital .
B&W Chief Technology Officer Brandy Johnson told the Beacon Journal through a spokeswoman that details about the specific customer and location for the turbines are confidential, "but it is targeted for a behind-the-meter data center application. As always, we have potential projects with other customers in progression, so these turbines could be used for other customers if one of those projects progresses faster than the initial intended target. That's one of the benefits of using standardized designs for these projects because we can readily apply the equipment across many potential sites."
The company declined to share the financial terms of the agreement or specifics about plans for power plants or data centers related to B&W's agreement with Denham Capital announced last September.
Within the larger AI data center market, some of the most power-intensive facilities being planned are a proposed Amazon data center in Texas that would utilize up to 7.65 gigawatts of power and Meta's in-development 5-gigawatt data center in Louisiana.
The B&W-Siemens deal deepens the Akron company's stake in the flourishing segment.
"We don't see an end to the power generation demands coming from AI and data centers, despite what the public markets have been stating ," Kenneth Young, B&W chairman, president and CEO, said on an Aug. 10 company earnings call. "The demand continues not only here but worldwide."
In addition to B&W's agreements with Siemens, the Akron-based company is planning a $2.4 billion, 1.2-gigawatt data center project with an Applied Digital-backed independent power producer named Base Electron. That project, announced by B&W in March, will be based near Center, North Dakota, according to an August investor slide deck from the company.
B&W reports financial improvements, paying down of debt
For its second-quarter 2026 earnings, B&W reported $319.7 million in revenue, up from $138.9 million in revenue for the second quarter of 2025.
The company's net income came out to $14.3 million for Q2 2026, compared to a $58.5-million net loss for Q2 2025.
For Q2 2026, B&W reported 4 cents earnings per share, up from a 63-cent loss per share for Q2 2025.
On June 30 – the end of the second quarter of 2026 – the company's total secured debt and bonds amounted to $239.8 million, and its cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash balance was $382.8 million.
During B&W's ongoing third quarter of 2026, the company announced it had repurchased its remaining $61.8 million of outstanding December 2026 bonds.
B&W stock closed at $9.19 on Aug. 11, up 29 cents (3.26%).
Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@usatodayco.com or on X @pwilliamsOH. Sign up for the Beacon Journal's business and consumer newsletter, " What's The Deal? "
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Babcock & Wilcox stakes out another perch in AI, data center bonanza
