An industrial park in Irvine, California, is showcasing technology designed to extract water from air using waste heat from data centers. On a September morning, engineers at Atoco, a startup based in Irvine, demonstrated a 20-foot-tall machine that utilizes metal organic frameworks (MOFs) to harvest water. The MOFs, which earned founder Omar Yaghi a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2025, allow the device to produce gallons of water daily without requiring a grid connection or electricity. Instead, the system operates using low-level industrial heat, making it suitable for integration with AI data centers that generate significant waste heat.
Atoco CEO Samer Taha noted that the rise of AI data centers presents an opportunity for the startup to help address water scarcity in stressed regions. Yaghi explained that MOFs are stable molecular structures that can absorb and release water molecules efficiently. The technology can function effectively even at low humidity levels, requiring heat as low as 100 degrees Fahrenheit to release captured water.
During a demonstration, Taha showcased the device's ability to produce water, which he described as equivalent to distilled water. He emphasized that utilizing waste heat from data centers could convert unutilized industrial waste heat into trillions of liters of clean water. Data centers, which often require large amounts of water for cooling, could benefit from Atoco's technology by addressing both waste heat and water consumption challenges.
Atoco's current prototype can generate up to 300 liters of water per day, with plans to scale up to 1,000 liters in commercial offerings. The company has conducted trials with partners in the US and the Gulf Cooperation Council and aims to begin taking orders for its first product by the end of the year. Major tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services, are exploring partnerships to implement pilot projects, as they strive to achieve water-positive goals by 2030.
While Atoco's technology shows promise, experts caution that MOFs are still emerging technologies that require further testing and scaling. Taha stated that the company can produce water at a levelized cost of $5 per metric ton, which is competitive with older desalination methods. However, newer facilities can produce water at lower costs, presenting a challenge for Atoco to meet market demands. Yaghi expressed hope that the technology could lead to greater water access, reflecting on his own experiences with water scarcity as a child. He stated, "Now, we’re talking about going from scarcity to abundance."