THE GRID
SECTION 13
ISSUE 001
Geothermal Compute Hubs
Projection: DOE-LBNL and the IEA describe substantial data-center load growth and the need for additional, reliable supply. Regions with viable geothermal resources may pair firm power with dense AI infrastructure. The thesis should be tested project by project against resource quality, interconnection, financing, cooling, and the actual delivered cost of compute.
Why this idea is here
What the evidence establishes.
DOE and LBNL project substantial U.S. datacenter load growth through 2028 and describe power-system planning measures for that growth; The IEA models datacenter electricity demand, projects the energy sources needed to supply it, and analyzes implications for security, emissions, innovation, and affordability. These are source-backed premises for this projection; they do not by themselves prove broad adoption or the eventual outcome.
Source ledger
Read the sources.
- S01DOE Report on U.S. Data Center Energy Use
government research release / published 2024-12-20 / retrieved 2026-07-09
- S02Energy and AI
intergovernmental research report / published 2025-04-10 / retrieved 2026-07-09