Eco Wave Power Q1 2026 Earnings Call - Wave Energy Positioned for AI Infrastructure Boom
Summary
Eco Wave Power reported a tighter operating loss of $682,000 in Q1 2026, down from $765,000 a year prior, driven by disciplined cost cuts across R&D, sales, and administration. The company holds $5.3 million in liquidity, providing a cushion as it scales its global project pipeline. The net loss widened to $695,000 due to foreign exchange headwinds from the Swedish krona and Israeli shekel against the dollar, but the underlying operational trajectory remains steady.
Strategically, the company is pivoting hard to align wave energy with the exploding power demands of AI data centers. CEO Inna Braverman highlighted a feature in Jensen Huang’s NVIDIA keynote and a $140 million funding round for competitor Panthalassa as market validation. With projects advancing in Israel, the U.S., Portugal, Taiwan, India, and South Africa, Eco Wave Power is betting on its nearshore deployment model as a faster, more practical alternative to distant offshore wind or speculative nuclear solutions. The narrative is shifting from pure renewable energy to critical AI infrastructure support.
Key Takeaways
- Operating expenses fell 11% year-over-year to $682,000, with R&D dropping to $140,000 from $181,000 and G&A down to $499,000 from $539,000.
- Operating loss improved to $682,000 from $765,000 in Q1 2025, though net loss widened to $695,000 due to foreign exchange fluctuations.
- The company maintains $5.3 million in total liquidity as of March 31, 2026, ensuring runway for ongoing operations and project development.
- Eco Wave Power was featured in NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote at the GTC conference, signaling growing institutional interest in wave energy for AI infrastructure.
- The Jaffa project in Israel remained stable during Q1, demonstrating strong performance during significant wave events and reinforcing grid-connected viability.
- The Port of Los Angeles pilot report was submitted to Shell Marine Renewable Energy, with plans to pursue larger-scale deployment on the port’s outer breakwater.
- A U.S. Department of Energy/NREL report highlighted the advantages of infrastructure-integrated wave energy systems, adding regulatory and technical credibility to the model.
- Portugal’s 1 MW project is advancing under a 20 MW concession agreement, with engineering validation and grid connection progress underway.
- Taiwan’s first Asia Pacific project is moving toward localized manufacturing and deployment preparation in collaboration with I-Ke International Ocean Energy.
- India’s partnership with Bharat Petroleum is progressing, with a formal site assessment order expected in Q3 2026 for a potential pilot installation.
Full Transcript
Unknown, Operator/Moderator, Conference Call Operator: Good day, everyone. Welcome to the Eco Wave Power first quarter 2026 earnings call. At this time, all participants have been placed on a listen-only mode. It is now my pleasure to turn the floor over to your host, Aharon Yehuda, the CFO of Eco Wave Power. The floor is yours.
Aharon Yehuda, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Eco Wave Power: Thank you. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining Eco Wave Power’s first quarter 2026 earnings call. Turning to our financial results. During the first quarter of 2026, we continued advancing our global project portfolio while maintaining disciplined cost management across the organization. Operating expenses for the quarter were approximately $682,000, representing an 11% decrease compared to the first quarter of 2025. The reduction was primarily driven by lower research and development, sales and marketing, and general administrative expenses. Research and development expenses decreased to approximately $140,000 compared to $181,000 during the same period last year.
Sales and marketing expenses were approximately $71,000 compared to $77,000 in the prior year period, while general and administrative expenses decreased to approximately $499,000 from $539,000 last year. Operating loss improved year-over-year, decreasing to approximately $682,000 compared to $765,000 during the same period in 2020. Other income remained relatively stable at approximately $52,000 compared to $54,000 during the same period last year, and was primarily driven from technology demonstration activity as well as management fees from a joint venture. Net loss for the quarter was approximately $695,000 compared to approximately $505,000 during the same period last year.
The change was primarily attributable to a foreign exchange fluctuation, including the appreciation of the Swedish krona and the new Israeli shekels against the US dollars, which impacted financial income during the quarter. Importantly, as of March 31, 2026, the company has approximately $5.3 million in total liquidity, including cash equivalents, and short-term bank deposits. We believe this provides a solid financial foundation to continue advancing our operational projects, strategic initiatives, and business development activities. Operationally, the company continued progressing projects across Israel, the United States, in Portugal, in Taiwan, in India, and in South Africa during the quarter, while also expanding discussions around potential future applications of wave energy within emerging AI-related energy infrastructure market. As we move forward, we remain focused on disciplined capital allocation, project execution, and strategic partnerships designed to support long-term commercial goals.
I will now turn the call over to our Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Inna Braverman.
Inna Braverman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Eco Wave Power: Thank you, Aron, and thank you everyone for joining us today. The first quarter of 2026 was an important quarter for Eco Wave Power, both operationally and strategically. During the quarter, we continued advancing our global project portfolio while also positioning Eco Wave Power within one of the most important emerging teams in the global infrastructure market, the rapidly growing intersection between artificial intelligence and energy demand. As AI adoption accelerates globally, energy availability is increasingly becoming one of the key constraints to scaling next-generation computing infrastructure. Data centers, accelerated computing systems, and digital infrastructure require significant amount of reliable electricity, particularly in coastal regions where many population centers and industrial hubs are located. We believe this creates a compelling long-term opportunity for Eco Wave Power.
Our technology is uniquely positioned within this emerging landscape because we generate renewable energy directly from existing coastal infrastructure, such as breakwaters and piers, enabling deployment close to demand centers without requiring offshore seabed connection or complex marine construction. During the quarter, Eco Wave Power was featured during NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote presentation at the NVIDIA GTC conference as part of a future-facing digital twin model focused on the renewable energy infrastructure. Following the conference, Eco Wave Power was also featured across NVIDIA’s social media channels. We view this visibility as an indication that the role of energy infrastructure in enabling AI growth is becoming increasingly important globally. We are also seeing broader market validation around the intersection of wave energy and AI infrastructure.
Recently, Panthalassa, a company focused on offshore energy solutions for AI infrastructure, announced a $140 million financing round led by Peter Thiel. We believe developments like this further demonstrate the increasing importance of scalable energy infrastructure in supporting the future growth of artificial intelligence. Importantly, we remain focused on disciplined execution and real-world deployment. In Israel, our EWP-EDF One project in Jaffa continued operating successfully as Israel’s first grid-connected wave energy power station. During Q1, the system demonstrated stable performance and strong production during significant wave events. In the United States, we completed and submitted the final report for our pilot project at the Port of Los Angeles to Shell Marine Renewable Energy. The pilot successfully demonstrated the technical, regulatory, and economic feasibility of our nearshore deployment model.
As next steps, we are planning to submit the results of the report to the Port of L.A. and enter discussions regarding a potential larger-scale implementation on the outer breakwater of the port. We were also pleased to see our technology highlighted in a report issued by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL, which emphasized the advantages of infrastructure-integrated wave energy systems. In Portugal, we continued advancing our 1 MW project under a 20 MW concession agreement in Porto, including engineering validation and grid connection progress. In Taiwan, we continued advancing our first Asia Pacific project in collaboration with I-Ke International Ocean Energy, including localized manufacturing plan and deployment preparation. In India, we continued progressing our collaboration with Bharat Petroleum, beginning with site assessment work for a potential pilot installation.
Based on the latest information received from BPCL, we currently expect to receive the formal site assessment order during Q3 of this year. In South Africa, we completed the feasibility study at the Port of Ngqura, indicating approximately 8.3 megawatts of potential installed capacity. At the same time, we have initiated discussions with infrastructure developers and data center participants regarding potential future applications of wave energy within AI-related infrastructure environments. Looking ahead, our priorities remain clear. Continue advancing our operational projects, maintain disciplined financial management, deepen strategic partnerships, and position Eco Wave Power within the next generation of global energy infrastructure. The demand of energy driven by artificial intelligence is happening now, and the market is actively searching for scalable solutions that can be deployed within commercially relevant timelines.
While many emerging concepts being discussed, including advanced nuclear technologies, space-based energy systems, or orbital solar collection platforms, are technologically fascinating, most are expecting to require many years, and in some cases, decades, before meaningful commercial deployment. By contrast, Eco Wave Power’s technology is designed around existing coastal infrastructure and commercially deployable engineering, allowing potential implementation timelines measured in months rather than decades. We can build wave energy for AI right now and not in decades. We believe this positions wave energy as one of the practical renewable energy solutions capable of helping address the rapidly growing electricity demands of AI infrastructure in co-coastal markets today. Thank you again for joining us today.
Unknown, Operator/Moderator, Conference Call Operator: Thank you, everyone. This does conclude today’s conference call. You may disconnect at this time, and have a wonderful day. Thank you for your participation.