World Economic Forum Proposes Geothermal Power for AI
The group identified geothermal heat near the Dead Sea to potentially power future artificial intelligence data centers.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Data Centers
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The World Economic Forum has identified geothermal resources in Jordan as a viable way to meet the energy demands of artificial intelligence infrastructure. This renewable energy could provide reliable power and cooling solutions for data centers in the region.
Why it matters
Expanding artificial intelligence operations requires significant electricity for processing and cooling, making the search for constant, stable energy sources a critical challenge for digital infrastructure growth.
Engineered geothermal systems require drilling wells to depths exceeding 2.5 kilometers with horizontal extensions of approximately 1.5 kilometers to circulate fluids for heat extraction.
The players
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is an international non-governmental organization that brings together leaders from government, business, and civil society to shape global agendas.
The details
Geothermal energy extracts heat from deep within the Earth to provide continuous electricity and can act as a direct cooling source for servers through absorption chillers. This method is prioritized for its ability to generate consistent power while utilizing less land than other renewable energy alternatives.
Timeline
The World Economic Forum published its report on October 21, 2026.
The Tech Race
This proposal marks a shift toward dedicated, local renewable infrastructure to support the extreme energy demands of modern machine learning models. It reflects a broader industry move to secure reliable power supplies that replace intermittent energy reliance with consistent geothermal baseloads.
Stable geothermal energy solutions could lead to more sustainable data operations, potentially reducing the long-term environmental footprint of AI services used by consumers. While currently at the proposal stage, successful implementation may help prevent energy-related outages for major digital platforms.
The takeaway
Integrating geothermal heat into the energy mix provides a continuous power source necessary to keep data-intensive AI systems running. Companies looking to scale digital infrastructure may increasingly turn to these localized renewable solutions to ensure reliability.
Further reading
For additional context on how the tech sector is evolving its infrastructure, explore the latest trends in Data Centers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Jordan News | Latest News from Jordan, MENA.
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