More than a dozen companies have joined the advisory board of a new US Department of Energy center dedicated to expanding geothermal energy in the US.

The deals, with a potential value exceeding $3.7 billion, are aimed at strengthening Saudi Aramco’s supply chains and expanding its use of industrial artificial intelligence.

The startup company’s Midland Basin demonstration plant, located in the Permian Basin, takes a major step toward commercialization by proving its direct lithium extraction technology can refine battery-grade lithium carbonate from produced water under multiple 24/7 production cycles.