Geothermal energy offers massive potential when scaled directly alongside AI data center growth. In a recent interview, Matt Keay, co-founder of Source Geothermal, shared how his background in storytelling led him to clean tech – and why Saudi Arabia is positioned to become a global hub for zero-emission digital infrastructure.
The conversation with Abdulaziz Khattak with TechArabia and OGN Energy Media highlights how tapping subsurface heat and leveraging regional hydrocarbon expertise can solve the steep power and cooling demands of next-gen Data Centers. To support AI workloads at scale, these facilities require hundreds of megawatts to gigawatts of 24/7 baseline power. Geothermal provides zero-emission electricity while delivering high-efficiency cooling using up to 90% less water, a critical advantage in arid environments.
A 5,000-acre site along the Red Sea rift offers prime geothermal territory fueled by high volcanic temperatures, allowing operators to extract heat, drive on-site cooling, and generate clean power within a single self-contained footprint. Building these facilities relies on the exact drilling and subsurface skills developed in the traditional oil and gas sector, where a ready workforce can be repurposed alongside growing Canada–Saudi bilateral cooperation. Beyond supplying grid-independent energy, Source Geothermal also leverages internal AI models to synthesize geological datasets and evaluate multi-thousand-acre subsurface formations significantly faster.
Source: Interview with Matt Keay, Co-Founder of Source Geothermal
Watch: Source Geothermal at LEAP
