Meta Platforms signs geothermal energy agreement with Sage Geosystems for US data centers

Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, announced on August 26 that it had struck a deal with Sage Geosystems for up to 150MW of geothermal energy to power its U.S. Data Centers. The company is racing to develop infrastructure to support massive investments in artificial intelligence, which consumes a lot of energy.

According to the social media firm, the first phase of the project is expected to be operational in 2027. It will "significantly" increase the use of geothermal energy in the United States.

Meta's announcement was made at a U.S. Department of Energy geothermal event. The administration of President Joe Biden is asking large technology companies to invest into new climate-friendly energy generation to meet their soaring electricity demand.

This surge is driven by technologies such as generative AI, which require data centers that are power hungry. This could make it harder for Biden to achieve his goal of decarbonizing power by 2035 in order to combat climate change.

A Meta spokesperson said that the company expects the Sage Geosystems' energy to be a part of the grid rather than directly supply any data center.

The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

(source: Reuters)