Initiative forms part of the NZIH’s broader work on heat reuse and heat-to-X solutions
AirJoule Technologies has teamed up with the Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers (NZIH) to explore integrating data center waste heat into heat-to-water systems.
As part of the tie-up, the companies will assess how heat-to-water technology could contribute to future resource-efficient data center operations and heat reuse strategies. The partners will test the efficacy of AirJoule’s heat-to-water tech, which it claims can convert low-grade waste heat into usable water through a thermodynamic process that integrates with industrial and infrastructure environments.
The system is based on metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs, a type of porous polymer with strong binding properties and a large surface area. In theory, this makes MOFs ideal for binding to specific particles, such as water.
“When we joined the Net Zero Start-Up Hub earlier this year, our objective was to move AirJoule from demonstration toward deployment inside a working data center. This collaboration delivers on that objective. By installing an AirJoule Prime system at a Hub member site, we will validate how waste heat from data centers can be converted into a usable water resource at commercial scale,” said Matt Jore, CEO of AirJoule Technologies.
The initiative forms part of the NZIH’s broader work on heat reuse and heat-to-X solutions. AirJoule was part of the first cohort.
“Not all data centers have access to district heating infrastructure, which is why we need to explore other ways to create value from the heat they generate,” said Alberto Ravagni, CEO of the Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers. “Through our heat-to-X workstream, we are working with AirJoule and our members to validate heat-to-water as one potential pathway for turning otherwise untapped heat into a useful resource and creating positive impact for communities beyond the data center fence.”
The NZIH is a pan-European, industry-led initiative launched in September 2023 and headquartered in Fredericia, Denmark. It comprises some of the biggest names in the sector, including Google, Microsoft, and Data4. The hub acts as a proving ground for data center operators to test, de-risk, and accelerate green energy, cooling, and backup technologies. In November 2024, the hub launched a request for information (RFI) to support deploying low-carbon substitutes for diesel backup generators in data centers.
