June 23, 2026
Rock, Shock, and Drill Roll
Millimeter wave technology drills 100 meters into granite
This startup just blasted 100 meters into solid rock—and the comments went full sci-fi
TLDR: Quaise Energy says it drilled 100 meters into hard granite using a new wave-based system aimed at unlocking deep geothermal power. The comments swung between awe, sci-fi jokes, and fact-checking links, with readers excited but clearly wanting proof this isn’t just a flashy lab dream.
Quaise Energy says it has pulled off a wild-sounding energy breakthrough: drilling 100 meters into granite in Texas using powerful millimeter waves instead of a normal drill bit. In plain English, they’re trying to reach insanely hot rock deep underground and turn that heat into electricity. It’s still nowhere near full commercial depth, but for a technology that had only managed a few centimeters in lab demos before 2025, the jump has people doing double takes.
And honestly? The comment section is having a blast. One of the biggest reactions was pure geeky amazement, with people marveling that this is basically using radio-wave-like energy to chew through rock. Another comment immediately went full movie-brain: “They made the laser drill from The Core IRL?” That’s the mood right there—half impressed, half convinced we’re one step away from a disaster film plot.
The mini-drama here isn’t angry fighting so much as science hype vs. receipts culture. While some users were dazzled, others showed up armed with older demo coverage and even a thesis link, basically saying: cool story, show your homework. A YouTube explainer also got tossed into the mix for anyone trying to figure out whether this is the future of clean energy or just the most expensive microwave ever built. For now, the crowd verdict is clear: fascinated, cautiously hyped, and extremely ready for the sequel.
Key Points
- •Quaise Energy said it drilled 100 meters into granite in a Central Texas field test using its proprietary millimeter wave drilling system.
- •Before 2025, millimeter wave drilling had only been demonstrated in laboratories, with MIT’s early system drilling only a few centimeters.
- •The 100-meter result remains well below commercial depth requirements, but the test rock was granite similar to the basement rock of Earth’s crust.
- •Quaise plans to use a future gyrotron with 10 times more power and is targeting a pilot power plant in the Western U.S. as early as 2028.
- •The system uses a gyrotron to ablate rock without downhole hardware, addressing limitations conventional drill bits face in hard, high-temperature rock such as granite and basalt.