Meet Omar Yaghi, Nobel Prize-winning chemist whose startup Atoco showed how data-centre waste heat could extract water from air, with prototypes producing up to 300 litres a day

Omar Yaghi is a Nobel Prize-winning chemist. He founded a startup called Atoco, and has shown a technology that uses low-grade heat to extract water from the air. According to reports, its prototype can produce up to 300 liters of water a day. It offers a possible way to reuse waste heat generated by data centers.

This is a California-based startup and is developing technology at a time when the rapid growth of AI is increasing pressure on data centers to manage heat and water consumption. The aim is simple, as it wants to address both problems by using excess heat to help produce water.

According to a report by the WIRED, Atoco showed its technology at its facility in Irvine, California. The machine reportedly uses specially designed materials to capture moisture from the surrounding air.

How does the technology work?

The company uses materials called metal-organic frameworks. These porous structures can capture water molecules from the air and hold them in tiny spaces within the material.

The machine uses heat to release the captured moisture. The water vapour is then collected and turned into liquid.

According to report's the company's technology is designed to work with low-grade industrial heat. It is often released into the environment instead of being put to further use. Atoco claims its materials can release captured water using heat as low as 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Why is data-centre waste heat important?

Notably, these data centres generate large amounts of heat as servers process information and run AI applications. Operators must remove this heat to keep equipment working safely. They often use cooling system that can require significant amounts of water.

The company's approach could help data centres recover a useful resource while reducing the amount of heat they need to discard.

Atoco also finds potential applications in industrial facilities and communities facing water shortages. Water has to be transported by truck in some remote areas because reliable supply infrastructure is unavailable.

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What are the company's plans?

It is exploring plans ways to install multiple units at data centres and use the technology in other locations with suitable heat sources. The company is also testing its systems with partners in the US and Gulf Cooperation Council countries.