Source Geothermal is exploring geothermal power and cooling as Saudi Arabia accelerates data centre development and looks for lower-water, lower-emission energy sources for AI infrastructure.

Matt Keay, Co-Founder of Source Geothermal and Director of Middle East Marketing, speaking to Tech Arabia, said the company sees an opportunity to use geothermal resources to support the Kingdom’s growing demand for data centre power, with the potential to deliver at least one gigawatt of clean geothermal power.

“Well, it's quite hot here, and there's a tremendous opportunity for cooling. And with geothermal, you can get the heat and make it cold very efficiently.” 

For Keay, Saudi Arabia’s heat is not only a challenge for data centres but also part of the opportunity for geothermal technology, which he says can provide both energy and efficient cooling.

The company’s proposition comes as AI increases demand for large-scale data centre infrastructure and the power required to run it. Keay said geothermal could help address that demand while reducing water use and emissions.

“To do that at scale, hundreds of megawatts, gigawatts of power, clean, no emissions, 90% less water is how we can power the infrastructure where AI is needed,” he explained. 

Geothermal meets AI infrastructure

Source Geothermal’s interest in AI extends beyond powering data centres. Keay said the company also uses AI internally to analyse geothermal resources and process data.

“Internally at Source Geothermal, we use AI for a lot of different things, examining the subsurface, being able to synthesise data a lot quicker.”

Geothermal can provide both energy and cooling

Keay described the potential for a 5,000-acre site along the Red Sea, where geothermal resources could be developed alongside data centre infrastructure.

The opportunity also aligns with Saudi Arabia’s broader energy and infrastructure ambitions, he said, particularly the push to produce more power while using less water.

“The kingdom has such incredible targets for Vision 2030, and so to produce more power and do that with less water aligns with Vision 2030.”

He also points to the existing skills within the Kingdom's energy workforce as an advantage for developing geothermal projects. “It's the same expertise in the hydrocarbon industry that would be repurposed for something like geothermal.”

Keay said the company is seeing strong momentum around data centres in Saudi Arabia, alongside infrastructure development and the Kingdom’s 2030 targets.