WEF, Amazon, Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and Leading Utilities of the World Launch Water-AI Nexus Center of Excellence

First-of-its-kind initiative to harness AI to solve critical water challenges

New information released today on data center best-practices to minimize water impact in the age of AI  

NEW YORK – September 25, 2025 – The Water Environment Federation (WEF), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania (WCP), and The Leading Utilities of the World (Leading Utilities) jointly announced today the creation of the Water-AI Nexus^TM Center of Excellence, a groundbreaking collaboration that will develop sustainable water practices for AI infrastructure while also using AI to solve global water challenges. This knowledge hub at the confluence of water and AI brings together water utilities, technology companies, and researchers to address the complex relationship between digital infrastructure and water sustainability.

The Water-AI Nexus was unveiled during Climate Week NYC, the largest annual climate event in the United States, and will focus on two critical missions:

1. Water for AI: Ensuring AI infrastructure uses water as efficiently as possible
2. AI for Water: Leveraging AI capabilities to solve pressing water scarcity and management challenges

Organizations across the water and technology sectors are invited to engage in this collaborative effort at water-ai-nexus.org—the central hub for the Water-AI Nexus community.

"Water utilities worldwide are facing unprecedented challenges from climate change and aging infrastructure, while simultaneously working to serve communities that depend on reliable, affordable water services," said Howard Carter, president of the Water Environment Federation. "The Water-AI Nexus Center of Excellence will accelerate innovation by connecting water professionals with AI experts to develop solutions that benefit both sectors as well as the communities they serve."

Key Initiatives of the Water-AI Nexus: 

• Framework Development: Establishing standards and best practices for water use that can be shared across the data processing industry
• Insight Report: Today's release of "Principles for Sustainable Water Use by Data Centers" provides a roadmap for data center operators to minimize water impacts while maximizing technological advancement. The report outlines four core principles: 
  • Strategic design and location 
  • Optimizing operational efficiency 
  • Using sustainable water sources  
  • Pursuing water replenishment to deliver water back to communities
• Knowledge Sharing: Case studies and research findings through publications and events
• Cross-Sector Collaboration: Uniting water utilities, AI developers, researchers and government officials 

 “We believe responsible innovation means both addressing our water footprint and using technology to solve global water challenges," said Beau Schilz, water principal at Amazon Web Services (AWS). "At Amazon, we strive to reduce water use in our operations, which include logistics sites such as fulfilment centers, as well as in our corporate offices and grocery stores. We’re also committed to returning more water to communities than we use across our data centers by 2030—being a founding leader of the Center of Excellence will help not only Amazon in its goals, but others as well, as we aim to collectively transform water management worldwide.”

The Water-AI Nexus Center of Excellence brings together expertise across water, academic, and utility sectors to ensure AI growth benefits our water resources and reduces stress on our water resources. By maximizing efficiency, eliminating unnecessary water use, and investing in community-tailored solutions, we can collectively ensure that technological advancement and environmental stewardship will—and must—advance together.

"The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania is proud to bring academic expertise to this critical collaboration," said Howard Neukrug, executive director of The Water Center at Penn. "By connecting research, industry practice, and policy development, we can accelerate innovations that address water scarcity while enabling responsible technological advancement."

Christopher Gasson, publisher of Global Water Intelligence and founder of Leading Utilities, added “The intersection of water management and artificial intelligence is a turning point for the sector, both a critical challenge and unprecedented opportunity. The Water-AI Nexus will be a vital platform where utilities can directly collaborate with technology innovators to ensure water sustainability isn’t compromised by digital growth.” 

Upcoming Events: 

The Water-AI Nexus will be featured at WEFTEC in Chicago (Sept. 27 – Oct. 1), with: 

• Three full days of dedicated content 
• A media panel with the founding leaders  
• Panel discussions with industry experts 
• Networking opportunities for water and technology professionals

About Amazon 

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

About The Water Center at Penn 

The Water Center at Penn is a community-focused research center working to find integrated solutions 

to the multiple challenges facing our world’s water systems and their watersheds. We strive to be a trusted, reliable partner whose work accelerates water equity by connecting, convening, and collaborating across the sector. The Water Center’s research approach is centered around working alongside communities, bringing their knowledge and expertise to the solutions addressing their water challenges, sharing power and responsibility, and encouraging communities to take the lead in determining priorities, questions to be asked, and the approach to answering those questions.  We share resources, education, training, and applied knowledge to support community goals. For more information, visit watercenter.sas.upenn.edu.

About Leading Utilities of the World 

Leading Utilities of the World is a network of the world’s most forward-thinking water and wastewater utilities, as defined by the network’s 14 distinct innovation areas. Its members represent the gold standard of utility innovation and performance throughout the developed world’s water sector. Leading Utilities is an initiative of the Global Water Leaders Group, a not-for-profit organisation helping to tell a better story for water worldwide by recognising achievement, providing a network for sharing ideas, and inspiring others to improve. Primarily a CEO-level organisation, it is funded by its Foundation Partner Jacobs and Corporate Member Grundfos, and collaborates with Association Partner the Water Environment Federation. There are no membership fees for its utilities, who meet three times a year at major water conferences around the world. www.leadingutilities.org

Media Contacts

Alyson Moses, Managing Director, Marketing and Communications, WEF
954-562-7023 | amoses@wef.org 
 
David Ward, Global Water Communications, Amazon
610-212-4768 | dcdavidw@amazon.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Alyson Moses, WEF Managing Director, Marketing and Communications, (954) 562-7023 | amoses@wef.org

 

About WEF

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization providing water professionals with the latest in education and training. WEF is leading the transformation to the Circular Water Economy: reducing waste, recovering resources, and regenerating ecosystems. Founded in 1928, WEF's mission is to inspire its 31,000 members and 75 affiliated member organizations and the water community in pursuit of human and environmental wellbeing. WEFTEC, WEF’s premiere event, is the largest annual water quality exhibition in North America attracting a diverse, global audience. More than 20,000 registrants and 1,000 exhibitors convene at WEFTEC to experience innovative solutions and gain expert insights that positively impact the future of water. For more information, visit wef.org.