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By William Gavin

Redwood Materials plans to meet the AI-fueled demand for energy with recycled electric-car batteries

J.B. Straubel is a former Tesla executive who left to focus on his energy startup, Redwood Materials.

The battery-recycling company founded by an ex-Tesla Inc. executive can count a high-profile artificial-intelligence company among investors in its latest funding round.

Redwood Materials said Thursday it had raised $350 million in a round led by the venture-capital firm Eclipse and Nvidia Corp.’s (NVDA) venture-capital arm, NVentures. Nvidia’s contribution to the round was not disclosed, and a representative did not immediately return a request for comment.

The fundraise comes as major AI players are scrambling to meet their power needs and as the U.S. is facing difficulties building out domestic mineral-supply chains. Currently, China is – by far – the dominant force in the global supply chains for cobalt, nickel and other minerals. And rising tensions between China and the U.S. have stoked worries that some companies, including carmakers, may get cut off from lithium-ion batteries and battery materials.

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“This is a pivotal time for both Redwood and the United States, as curtailment in international supplies overlaps with intense domestic demand growth for these same materials and energy products,” the company said in a statement.

Redwood said it would use the new cash to expand its growing energy-storage business, which it launched in June under the name Redwood Energy and which seeks to meet the quickly escalating demand for energy needed for AI data centers. By 2030, global power demand from data centers is set to grow 165% compared with 2023, according to Goldman Sachs.

“AI is several things. AI is energy, AI is chips, the models and the application,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in a recent interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “And we need more energy.”

Redwood believes it already has the supply chains necessary to match its ambitions. The company has said it receives batteries equivalent to 250,000 electric vehicles annually, or about 90% of all lithium-ion batteries and battery materials recycled in North America.

Redwood’s core business involves recycling scrap from consumer electronics and batteries, extracting minerals like cobalt and nickel and selling those components back to partners and battery suppliers, including Toyota Motor Corp (JP:7203).

Now it says it won’t take battery packs apart immediately, instead diverting what power remains to fuel low-cost, large-scale energy-storage systems. Once that energy is fully drained, the batteries are sent to be scrapped for parts as usual.

“Low-cost, large-scale battery energy storage has emerged as the most immediate and scalable solution to enable AI factory deployment and unlock stranded grid and generation capacity,” Redwood said in a statement.

Redwood was founded in 2017 by J.B. Straubel, a Tesla (TSLA) co-founder and executive who left the company to scale his startup. Straubel’s former employer is also seeking to meet growing energy demand.

See more: This underrated Tesla business deserves more attention – and it’s not AI

Beyond expanding its energy business, Redwood said it will also use the new capital to expand its refining and material-production capacity and build out its engineering and operations teams. The company was valued at $1 billion in late 2023, following its previous fundraising round, according to TechCrunch.

-William Gavin

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  10-23-25 1400ET
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Calvin Klein Inc. today announces the U.S. launch of Re-Calvin, a new take-back program designed to make it easy for customers to responsibly part with their pre-loved items.

Developed in partnership with Trove, the leader in branded resale and customer trade-in, and Debrand, a comprehensive sortation and circular logistics partner, Re-Calvin is a free service from Calvin Klein that gives U.S. customers a simple, accessible way to extend the useful life of clothing, shoes and accessories from any brand through donation, recycling, downcycling or, when necessary, responsible disposal that is converted from waste to energy. Re-Calvin also accepts intimates such as bras, swimwear and underwear – a category often excluded from circularity programs.

“As Calvin Klein continues its sustainability journey, we are proud to introduce a program that makes circularity more accessible for our customers and delivers alternative uses for pre-loved items,” said David Savman, Global Brand President, Calvin Klein. “It was important that we partner with experts with a proven ability to build and scale programs that handle a wide range of products andcategories, making it easier than ever for customers to responsibly extend the life of their items.”

How It Works

Customers in the United States can visit calvinklein.us/re-calvin to print a free shipping label and send in items from any brand. Once received, each package is processed and routed according to Calvin Klein’s diligent, established standards:

• Reuse: Items in good condition are donated or sent to secondhand distribution partners.

• Recycle / Downcycle: Items that cannot be reused, including intimates, are recycled into new fibers whenever possible, or downcycled into materials such as insulation or padding.

• Responsible Disposal: As a final step, if no reuse, recycling or downcycling option is available, items are to be converted from waste to energy or alternative fuel conversion.

Only items suitable for a new owner are directed to reuse. Garments with significant wear, damage, heavy stains and all intimates are directed to end-of-use streams, including recycling, downcycling and responsible disposal. Customers receive an email update after their parcel is processed, detailing how their items were routed, ensuring transparency throughout the process.

Powered by Trove’s Takeback Plug-In

Re-Calvin is powered by Trove’s new Takeback Plug-In, which enables Calvin Klein to seamlessly manage item intake, routing and transparency at scale. The plug-in integrates directly into Calvin Klein’s existing U.S. website, enabling the brand to operate a multi-brand takeback program that includes complex categories such as intimates.

The Takeback Plug-in expands Trove’s suite of circular solutions, which also includes the Resale Plug-in, Trade-in Plug-in and a range of API integration options. Together, these tools give brands the flexibility to build customized circular programs that meet their unique needs.

“Re-Calvin marks the first implementation of Trove’s new Takeback Plug-In,” said Terry Boyle, CEO of Trove. “With this launch, Calvin Klein is showing how technology can make responsible choices simple for every customer, accepting items from any brand and across all categories, including intimates, to help keep more textiles in circulation.”

By accepting items from any brand and across all categories, Re-Calvin reflects Calvin Klein, Trove and Debrand’s shared belief that every item should have as many chances as possible to find a second life.