# KR Sridhar

> KR Sridhar is the founder, chairman and CEO of Bloom Energy. A former University of Arizona engineering professor and Space Technologies Laboratory director, he helped develop oxygen-production technology for NASA Mars research before applying solid oxide technology to on-site electricity generation. His career spans academic research, manufacturing, energy access advocacy and the growing power requirements of AI infrastructure.

- **Role:** Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Bloom Energy
- **Organizations:** Bloom Energy, University of Arizona (former professor and laboratory director), NASA (research collaborator and former adviser), C3 AI (director), Caltech Resnick Sustainability Institute (external advisory board), University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering (Board of Visitors), National Academy of Engineering, Indian National Academy of Engineering, Kleiner Perkins (strategic limited partner), New Enterprise Associates (has served as special adviser)
- **Nationality:** Indian American
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree with honors in Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli (then Regional Engineering College, affiliated with the University of Madras), MS, Nuclear Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, PhD, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- **Known for:** Developed solid oxide electrolysis technology for oxygen production in NASA-related Mars research., Founded and led Bloom Energy through commercialization and a 2018 NYSE listing., Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2016 for contributions involving transport phenomena, thermal packaging of electrochemical systems and power generation.

## Career timeline

- **1982** — Completed undergraduate mechanical engineering studies at the institution now known as NIT Tiruchirappalli.
- **1984** — Earned an MS in nuclear engineering at Illinois.
- **1990** — Earned a PhD in mechanical engineering at Illinois.
- **Before Bloom Energy** — Professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering and director of the Space Technologies Laboratory at the University of Arizona; collaborated with and advised NASA.
- **1997** — Oxygen-generating system proposed with John Finn selected for the Mars 2001 Survey Lander; the mission was subsequently cancelled.
- **2001–2002** — Bloom traces its origins to 2001; Ion America, later Bloom Energy, was incorporated in 2002.
- **2006** — Company adopted the Bloom Energy name and deployed its first 5 kW field trial unit at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.
- **2008** — Commercial Energy Server deployments began.
- **2010** — Appeared on 60 Minutes and publicly unveiled the Bloom Energy Server at eBay’s San Jose campus in February.
- **2016** — Elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
- **2018** — Led Bloom through its New York Stock Exchange listing, ticker BE.
- **2023** — Joined C3 AI’s board of directors in February.
- **2024** — Returned to Illinois as Grainger engineering commencement speaker; awarded an honorary Doctor of Science by Delaware.
- **2026** — Bloom expanded its Oracle and Brookfield relationships and reported its first quarterly revenue above $1 billion.

## Achievements

- Developed solid oxide electrolysis technology for oxygen production in NASA-related Mars research.
- Founded and led Bloom Energy through commercialization and a 2018 NYSE listing.
- Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2016 for contributions involving transport phenomena, thermal packaging of electrochemical systems and power generation.
- Recipient of NIT Tiruchirappalli’s 2007–08 Distinguished Alumnus recognition.
- Received Illinois Mechanical Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumnus recognition in 2011.
- Awarded an honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Delaware in 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Bloom announced that its third-quarter results would be released October 22, 2026; these were still forthcoming as of this research date.
- **2026-09** — Bloom published a report advocating native 800V DC power for AI data centers; cost-saving figures are company projections.
- **2026-07** — Bloom reported Q2 revenue of $1,065.4 million, up 165.5% year over year, and raised full-year revenue guidance.
- **2026-06** — Brookfield increased its framework to finance power projects with Bloom from $5 billion to $25 billion; this is a financing framework, not recognized Bloom revenue.
- **2026-04** — Oracle and Bloom expanded an agreement supporting intended procurement of up to 2.8 GW; 1.2 GW was initially contracted and deploying.

## Links

- Website: https://www.bloomenergy.com/team/kr-sridhar/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kr-sridhar-00244216
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/K-R-Sridhar/302044483230522

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kr-sridhar
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15