Enhanced geothermal energy is poised to power the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to a new white paper by Fervo Energy.
AI requires huge amounts of energy, but is advancing faster than the power grid can support, which poses one of the central dilemmas to its ongoing roll-out.
Leading voices in the field now acknowledge that AI’s growth will be limited by the availability of reliable energy, the white paper notes.
In a 2025 Senate hearing, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman noted that “the cost of AI will converge to the cost of energy… the abundance of [AI] will be limited by the abundance of energy.”
According to Fervo Energy, the timing is becoming urgent.
Even conservative projections show electricity demand from data centres growing faster than new power generation can come online.
While some developers have turned to nuclear and natural gas to supply data centres with needed firm power — such as Microsoft’s restart of the Three Mile Island nuclear facility or ExxonMobil’s plans for new gas plants — those options face limits in availability, long timelines and supply chain constraints.
“The speed and scale of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) make the technology uniquely positioned to power data centres before 2030,” Fervo Energy notes.
The white paper goes on to outline the advantages of why EGS is a reliable, clean and scalable solution that can meet the gigawatt-scale power needs of modern data centres.
They include:
Economies of scale: Bigger data centre clusters require bigger power plants, offering a fit with EGS because cost per megawatt declines as project size increases.
Abundant resources: Reports from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the US Geological Survey identify hundreds of gigawatts of untapped EGS resource potential across the country.
Speed to market: Standardised, modular plant designs make it possible to complete projects in as little as 18 months.
Utah stands out as the optimal starting point for the first enhanced geothermal-powered data centre cluster, the company adds.
“The state has high geothermal resource potential, supportive permitting policies, and strong community and commercial engagement. Utah already hosts gigawatts of data centre capacity and is one of the fastest-growing tech hubs in the US.”
It is also home to the Department of Energy’s FORGE research site, three operational geothermal plants, and the site of Fervo Energy’s Cape Station, the largest EGS development in the world.
“By pairing EGS development with the rapid growth of data infrastructure, regions like Utah are positioned to deliver the reliable, clean, and domestic energy supply needed to support continued AI leadership,” Fervo Energy adds.