Atoco Harvests Water From Air Using MOFs and Data Center Waste Heat

Irvine-based startup Atoco has demonstrated a machine that pulls water from the air using metal organic frameworks (MOFs), the material that won founder Omar Yaghi the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The system needs no grid power or electricity: low-grade industrial heat from about 100 °F is enough to capture and release the water, making it a fit for AI data centers.

• The 20-foot unit runs off-grid with no electricity, using only low-grade heat
• MOFs release water at temperatures as low as 100 °F and work at low humidity
• About 70% of industrial waste heat is low-grade and goes unused
• A single data center can emit as much heat as tens of thousands of homes