According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, one in four people around the world lack access to drinking water. Many people also spend over thirty minutes each day just collecting it. Meanwhile, the growth of data centers for AI is putting more pressure on water and land resources. Is it possible that a small device could help solve these big problems?
In this episode of Balancing the Future, Chai sits down with Dr. Carlos Diaz-Marin, Assistant Professor of Energy Science and Engineering at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and winner of the 2026 METTLER TOLEDO Innovator Award.
They discuss Carlos and his team’s invention, a small box that uses the same technology found in diapers and other absorbent materials. It pulls moisture from the air and stores it as drinking water. The device runs on solar power, so it works reliably and sustainably. While the basic technology has been around for a while, what sets this device apart is that it can operate even in very low humidity, which has been a challenge for similar products.
Carlos and his team have tested the device in extreme environments, including the rainforest and the world's driest desert. They found that it worked well in all these places. This means the device could be used in homes to provide enough drinking water for a family each day. Its ability to use waste heat could also make it useful for cooling AI data centers.
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