Water-AI Nexus: Innovation at the Confluence of Water and AI

At its heart, the Water-AI Nexus™ Center of Excellence exists because we face a dual challenge: as artificial intelligence and data infrastructure grow rapidly, their water demands and environmental impacts rise - yet water systems need new tools, innovation, and collaboration to meet water stress, aging infrastructure, and climate pressures. In short, we must design a future where water and digital infrastructure reinforce each other.

That’s the mission driving WEF’s first Center of Excellence: a new knowledge hub created by its founding leaders: WEF, Amazon, The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and Leading Utilities of the World. The Water-AI Nexus™ pursues two intertwined goals: Water for AI, ensuring that AI infrastructure is designed and operated with sustainable water use; and AI for Water, harnessing AI’s potential to solve pressing water challenges.

Bringing the Water-AI Nexus™ to life at WEFTEC

At WEFTEC, the Water-AI Nexus™ wasn’t just a concept - it came alive on the show floor. Over three days, the Water-AI Nexus™ Theater hosted packed sessions featuring utilities, researchers, and global technology leaders. 

• The week began with a media briefing from the founding leaders and the release of the Insight Report: Principles for Sustainable Water Use by Data Centers, presented by WEF’s John Ikeda and AWS’s Beau Schilz.  Read the Insight Report 
• Crowds filled the theater for topics ranging from predictive maintenance and AI-driven utility operations to workforce upskilling in the GenAI era
• Highlights included Trust, Tech, and Taps, a high-profile discussion moderated by Radhika Fox with leaders from Houston Public Works, Xylem, and LADWP, and a candid executive interview on generative AI with voices from WEF, AWWA, and The Water Research Foundation
• The program closed with forward-looking sessions such as Water and AI: Mapping the Journey, Shaping the Future and real-world case studies on data center cooling, leak detection, and digital transformation 

Several sessions drew standing-room-only audiences, underscoring the sector’s hunger for progress. The theater embodied what the Water-AI Nexus™ strives to become: a place where utilities, technology innovators, researchers, and practitioners converge to translate ideas into action. 

Continue the Conversation — Engage with the Water-AI Nexus™

The work of the Water-AI Nexus™ is built on principles for sustainable water use in AI: designing with efficiency in mind, sourcing water responsibly, replenishing where possible, and embedding stewardship into operations. These ideas set the foundation for how the water and AI sectors can advance together. 

To stay part of the movement: 

Download the Insight Report 

Explore the “Principles for Sustainable Water Use by Data Centers” and how they provide a blueprint for water-smart AI infrastructure. 

Explore the Water-AI Nexus™

Learn more about the mission, explore resources, and see how you can engage with this new Center of Excellence.