Sometimes the best news for your business is when your customer gets acquired by someone with very deep pockets. That's the situation First Solar, Inc. (FSLR) found itself in Monday, with shares climbing over 5% after Alphabet announced it's buying one of First Solar's significant customers.
The Deal Behind the Rally
Alphabet has entered into an agreement to acquire Intersect Power, a data center and energy infrastructure solutions company, for $4.75 billion in cash plus the assumption of debt. Google already owned a minority stake in Intersect from a previous funding round, so this isn't exactly a cold approach.
The strategic rationale is pretty straightforward: Google wants to use solar energy to power U.S. data centers that support Google Cloud. As AI workloads explode and data centers consume increasingly absurd amounts of electricity, tech giants are scrambling to secure reliable, clean power sources. Intersect's operations will remain separate under the Intersect brand, led by CEO Sheldon Kimber.
"Modern infrastructure is the linchpin of American competitiveness in AI. We share Google's conviction that energy innovation and community investment are the pillars of what must come next," Kimber said.
The acquisition will include Intersect's first announced co-located data center and power site currently under construction in Haskell County, Texas. However, Intersect's existing operating assets in Texas and its operating and in-development assets in California won't be part of the deal. Those will continue as an independent company backed by existing investors TPG Rise Climate, Climate Adaptive Infrastructure and Greenbelt Capital Partners.
Why First Solar Benefits
Here's where First Solar comes in. Intersect Power is a major buyer of First Solar's thin-film solar panels, with significant multi-gigawatt orders placed in recent years. Back in 2022, Intersect announced it was purchasing the panels for solar, storage and green hydrogen projects set to come online across the U.S. between 2025 and 2027.
"Intersect will help us expand capacity, operate more nimbly in building new power generation in lockstep with new data center load, and reimagine energy solutions to drive US innovation and leadership," said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet.
For First Solar investors, the acquisition signals that a key customer now has Alphabet-level resources to fund its expansion plans. That's the kind of balance sheet upgrade that tends to make suppliers smile.
FSLR Price Action: First Solar shares were up 5.62%, trading at $281.77 at the time of publication.