Meta Taps Earth’s Hidden Heat to Power the AI Revolution

Tech group partners with XGS Energy to tap dry rock heat for 24/7 clean electricity at New Mexico site

20 Jun 2025

Meta is digging deep to keep its AI ambitions running. The tech giant is backing a 150-megawatt geothermal power project in New Mexico in partnership with startup XGS Energy. The aim is to provide constant clean energy for its expanding network of data centres.

This is not traditional geothermal, which depends on hot water near the surface. XGS is using a newer method called dry rock heat extraction. It drills into deep hot rock and draws out heat through a closed-loop system. There is no need for water or volcanic activity, which means the technology can work in more locations.

Meta wants its data centres to run on 100 percent clean electricity every hour of the day. As AI workloads grow, so does the demand for power. Building energy projects close to its infrastructure helps reduce transmission losses and takes pressure off public grids. “This is a long-duration solution,” said Urvi Parekh, Meta’s head of renewable energy.

New Mexico was chosen for its hot geology, low seismic risk and good access to the grid. The deal gives XGS a chance to prove that dry rock geothermal can work at scale. The energy sector is paying attention. Other firms are testing similar technologies, but Meta is the first major tech company to invest at this level.

There are still obstacles. Deep drilling is expensive, and the technology is not yet fully proven. But if successful, this could be an important step forward. A little-used source of clean energy may soon help power the data-driven future from far below the surface.