Atoco Debuts Off-Grid Water Harvester for AI Data Centers
California startup Atoco showed a 20-foot machine that pulls water from air using metal organic frameworks, powered only by low-level industrial heat.
Atoco, a startup based in Irvine, California, demonstrated a 20-foot-tall machine that harvests water from the air using metal organic frameworks, according to Wired. The system needs no grid connection or electricity for water harvesting, requiring only low-level industrial heat.
Chief executive Samer Taha said the company's MOFs can harvest and release water with heat as low as 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The system also works when relative humidity is in the teens, conditions in which many competing approaches struggle.
To show how the machine could work with AI data centers, Atoco simulated one by piping in heat from a source at around 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The company says its technology can be paired with data centers that produce waste heat, turning a byproduct into an input for water production.
The founders' credentials run deep: Omar Yaghi, Atoco's founder, won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2025 for work on metal organic frameworks. The company has previously shown MOF technology in prototypes capable of producing gallons of water per day.
The AI data center angle is a newer direction for the firm. Four or five years ago, Atoco was not thinking of AI data centers at all, Taha said.
Quick answers
How does Atoco's water harvester work?
It uses metal organic frameworks to pull water from the air and release it using low-level industrial heat, with no grid connection or electricity needed for harvesting.
What heat does Atoco's system need?
CEO Samer Taha says the MOFs can harvest and release water with heat as low as 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The company also simulated a data center using heat around 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Can it work in dry air?
Yes. Atoco says the system works even when relative humidity is in the teens.