Business, Finance & Tech
Engineer Proposes Underground Data Centers Powered by Geothermal Energy
As opposition to data centers grows across the country, a Washington, D.C.-area professional engineer says he has developed a new design that could address many of the concerns communities have raised.
Channing Blackwell, whose firm has worked on major projects in Washington, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, says the solution is to turn the traditional data center concept upside down.
His proposal would place the data center underground, beneath a landscaped berm topped with solar panels. The design would incorporate geothermal energy and, according to Blackwell, operate without relying on fossil fuels.
At hyperscale, the proposed facility would cover approximately 30 acres. Blackwell says it could cost less than half as much as a conventional hyperscale data center while delivering computing capacity approaching that of the largest data centers currently operating in the United States.
He also says the facility would not need to connect to the electric grid, potentially addressing one of the major concerns surrounding data center development: the demand for electricity.
The concept offers a different approach to building the infrastructure needed to support growing computing demands. However, its projected costs, performance, and ability to operate independently of the grid would need to be evaluated through detailed engineering and implementation.
By: NBC Palm Springs
October 13, 2026
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