First Hydrogen Taps into a Trillion-Dollar Market
First Hydrogen continues to move full steam ahead in building its new business division focused on robotics and autonomous systems. In early September, the company first secured the exclusive global rights to further develop and commercialize a mobile, AI-powered ground robotics platform. The unmanned ground vehicle is to have a modular design, be capable of operating autonomously or via remote control, and be used for applications including military logistics, drone support, security tasks, construction sites, industrial applications, and last-mile transportation. Next, First Hydrogen plans to develop a market-ready design and clearly defined applications. All new technologies, software solutions, designs, and data created during the development process will be wholly owned by First Hydrogen.
Just a few days later, the next step followed. First Hydrogen signed a definitive agreement to acquire a 60% stake in Exodus Actuation Solutions. The company holds an extensive patent portfolio for motors, gearboxes, drive systems, and robotics, comprising 26 granted patents and 10 pending patents. Among other things, the technology is designed to enable higher speed, torque density, efficiency, and precision while simultaneously reducing energy consumption, noise, and system costs. According to the company, more than 500 motors and gearboxes have already been manufactured and delivered. Potential applications range from humanoid and industrial robots to collaborative systems, automated manufacturing, and precise motion control.
First Hydrogen is consolidating these robotics activities in its new wholly-owned subsidiary, First Humanoid Corp. First Humanoid is intended to serve as a platform for humanoid robotics, autonomous systems, and AI-enabled technologies, and to develop and market related intellectual property. The two most recent transactions are interlinked. While the UGV agreement targets a specific mobile robotics platform, the investment in Exodus provides access to a broader technological base for propulsion systems and robotics.
First Hydrogen is thus making tangible progress in a trillion-dollar market. RBC Capital Markets forecasts that the global market for humanoid robotics will grow to approximately USD 9 trillion by 2050. Suppliers of critical robot hardware components, such as actuators, sensors, and cameras, should benefit. First Hydrogen currently has a relatively modest market capitalization of EUR 22 million.
DroneShield: Panic?
Is panic now setting in at DroneShield—both within the company and among its shareholders? The stock’s downward trend shows no signs of ending. Last month, the stock lost 17%, and so far in 2026, it has already lost 48%. Yesterday, the Australian drone defence specialist was trading at just EUR 1.01. In October 2025, it was still well over EUR 3. Since then, the growth prospects for drones and their defence have certainly not worsened. Nevertheless, even in early September, the stock was among the most heavily shorted securities in Australia, with a short interest of 15.4%.
It is likely no coincidence that DroneShield recently tied the CFO change to a detailed operational update. Especially when investors are more skeptical about the company and its stock, a change in a key position such as the CFO can trigger additional nervousness. The company likely sought to counter this by demonstrating operational strength. However, it was not enough to boost the stock.
Yet DroneShield’s outlook is quite strong. Since the release of the half-year results, the revenue firmly committed for 2026 has risen from AUD 240 million to AUD 251 million, placing it well within the annual forecast range of AUD 250 to 270 million. The company views this as evidence that strong international demand is increasingly translating into concrete orders. In addition, DroneShield already has committed revenue of AUD 46 million for 2027 and subsequent years. The first order for the new AI-powered RfRecon system also points to further growth. The hardware is scheduled to be delivered to an existing Western European military customer by the end of 2026.
At the same time, DroneShield views the change in Chief Financial Officer as a move to strengthen the company for its next phase of growth. Rebecca Lowde will become the new CFO effective November 2, 2026, succeeding Carla Balanco. Balanco is leaving the company after more than 8 years. Lowde has nearly three decades of experience in finance, CEO, and leadership roles, with a focus on transformation, capital management, M&A, governance, and scaling international technology companies. Most recently, she served as CFO of software provider MYOB; before that, she held roles including CFO and Chief People Officer at Afterpay. DroneShield views her capital markets and transaction experience as a key asset for its continued global expansion.
Bloom Energy Continues to Fuel AI
While First Hydrogen’s stock is still waiting for a comeback despite the robotics hype, Bloom Energy’s stock has rebounded. It rose more than 15% in a few days. Investors continue to bet that AI will further drive up energy consumption.
Bloom Energy recently announced that it is expanding its collaboration with MiTAC Computing. According to the announcement, the company plans to install a fuel cell microgrid at the AI server production site in Fremont, California. The new project complements an existing facility at the MiTAC site in San Jose and increases the total contracted on-site power supply. This move comes against the backdrop of rapidly rising energy demand across the entire AI value chain. Not only data centres but also manufacturers of servers and other AI infrastructure are increasingly encountering grid bottlenecks. With this decentralized power supply, MiTAC aims to maintain operations while expanding production capacity more quickly.
For Bloom Energy, the AI infrastructure business is becoming significantly more important. The company now supplies nearly two dozen customers in this segment with a total capacity of approximately 250 MW. Two years ago, this segment played virtually no role. According to Bloom, fuel cells are particularly well-suited for locations where rapid deployment, low noise levels, and limited water availability are critical. Bloom is already deploying its technology in several large data centre and AI infrastructure projects, including collaborations with AEP, Brookfield, Equinix, Nebius and Oracle.
First Hydrogen is making noticeable progress in its expansion into the robotics market. The stock has not yet taken off. Bloom Energy recently showed how quickly tech stocks can move. Following a 15% rally within a few days, sentiment is bullish again. In contrast, the sell-off at DroneShield shows no signs of ending.
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