Nexus Data Centers, an emerging AI hyperscale developer, has advanced its strategy for sustainable infrastructure through a new industrial Water Purchase Agreement (WPA) with clean-tech firm AirJoule Technologies. The agreement follows the companies’ June 2025 MOU tied to Nexus’ 600MW natural-gas-powered AI data center campus now under development in Hubbard, Texas.
According to a press release, the WPA represents a core component of the resource-efficiency model for Nexus. AirJoule’s atmospheric water-generation technology will use the campus’s operational and power-generation waste heat to produce distilled water onsite, providing a new, circular supply of cooling and process water. Initial systems are slated for installation beginning in Q2 2026.
Ivan Van der Walt, Managing Partner of Nexus Data Centers, said, “Water sustainability is a critical consideration for data center operators, we’re excited to be working with AirJoule Technologies on a water purchase agreement where AirJoule will sustainably produce distilled water from our operational waste heat.”
Matt Jore, CEO of AirJoule Technologies, said,“Nexus is constructing one of the largest AI data center campuses in the world, and our continued work together supports validation that AirJoule’s waste-heat-to-water platform can address urgent water security and sustainability needs for data center operators.”
By capturing thermal energy already generated by high-density AI workloads, Nexus aims to secure a resilient, on-premises water source while reducing resource strain in next-generation data centers that face scrutiny over water and energy consumption.
The system leverages advanced metal-organic framework materials recognized by the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to convert waste heat into water. The reclaimed water will be sold back to Nexus for deployment across cooling, power-generation processes, and broader operational needs, offering the operator a pathway to reduce dependence on municipal or regional water sources.
The companies’ collaboration builds on an early 2025 field demonstration in Hubbard supported by the city, and Nexus. That pilot system has already delivered real-world performance and reliability data across changing environmental conditions, helping Nexus validate the technology’s scalability for hyperscale deployment.