Why Plug Power Stock Shot Higher Today

Key Points

• A big announcement today highlighted the growing use case for fuel cells.

• Nvidia and OpenAI plan a new, massive data center buildout.

• 10 stocks we like better than Plug Power ›

Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) stock took off Monday morning. Shares of the hydrogen fuel cell supplier peaked with an almost 15% gain in early trading. The stock remained higher by 11.9% as of 1:30 p.m. ET.

Plug develops and commercializes hydrogen fuel cell systems. Large companies including Amazon, Walmart, and Home Depot utilize Plug's systems to power forklifts and other material handling equipment in distribution centers and warehouses.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

A big announcement today has investors thinking Plug's future business could be related to an even faster-growing segment.

Image source: Getty Images.

Plug Power can help fill growing power needs

Plug operates a green hydrogen production facility in Georgia that began liquid hydrogen shipments last year. That hydrogen fuel could soon be used for more than forklifts as the need to power data centers explodes.

An announcement today highlighted that growing need. Tech giant Nvidia announced plans to invest as much as $100 billion in ChatGPT developer OpenAI as part of a major data center buildout.

Plug Power stock has already been rising in recent weeks due to increasing power needs as well as the Federal Reserve's decision to lower interest rates last week. The strategic partnership between Nvidia and OpenAI will enable OpenAI to build and deploy a minimum of 10 gigawatts (GW) of data centers used for artificial intelligence (AI) growth. That would be enough power to supply electricity to over 8 million homes.

Plug Power has seen strong demand for its GenDrive fuel cells, with total revenue increasing 21% in the most recent quarter. As more companies look to supply power for data centers, Plug Power could see sharply increasing demand.

Plug has reported big losses in the first half of 2025, though. Operating losses of over $350 million were an improvement over last year, but investors should still consider it a high-risk investment. If customers do line up for its fuel cells, however, there could be more upside to Plug Power stock.

Should you invest $1,000 in Plug Power right now?

Before you buy stock in Plug Power, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Plug Power wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $661,694!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,082,963!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,067% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 190% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of September 22, 2025

Howard Smith has positions in Amazon, Home Depot, and Nvidia and has the following options: short October 2025 $160 calls on Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Home Depot, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Waste Management. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.