• Team looking to tap underground ‘thermal batteries’ to cool AI Data centers and save water

    Jul 2, 2026 8:00 am by Lois YoksoulianGeological Survey
    Data center surrounded by fields and wind mills

    AI data centers require significant amounts of energy and water to stay cool year-round. In a new study, researchers at the Prairie Research Institute propose using thermal and water resources provided by aquifers across the U.S. that are not used for drinking water. Photo courtesy Storyblocks.

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    • Data center surrounded by fields and wind mills

    Aquifer-based geothermal systems, known as aquifer thermal energy storage, could help ease the environmental stress stemming from artificial intelligence data centers in the United States. Researchers at the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are proposing a new way to keep those facilities cool by using the naturally stable underground temperatures and groundwater as a giant natural “thermal battery.”