Omen AI adds liquid know-how in $16 million Aquatic Labs acquisition

US data centers consume 17–19 billion gallons of water annually for cooling, a figure expected to triple within five years, creating cost and political challenges for AI infrastructure investors. Omen AI, founded in 2024, has developed a real-time sensor that monitors cooling fluid conditions—such as valve failures or bacterial growth—replacing a multi-day laboratory testing process. After raising a $31 million Series A in June, Omen is acquiring competitor Aquatic Labs in a $16 million cash-and-stock deal. The two startups offer complementary technologies: Omen’s sensors detect elemental composition, while Aquatic Labs’ sensor tests alkalinity. By integrating both into a single sensor, they promise a richer picture of water quality. The deal unites founder Zach Laberge, a college dropout with industrial fluid-analysis experience, and Aquatic Labs CEO Allan Adams, a physicist and former MIT professor and Woods Hole researcher, who becomes chief science officer. The combined teams aim to launch the integrated sensor by early next year, targeting chips consuming 250–300 MW by year-end and equivalent to 1 GW by 2027. Improved monitoring extends fluid lifespan and reduces costly downtime. Omen believes demand remains strong despite investor skepticism about AI infrastructure spending, citing that its work focuses on already-financed data center projects.

(Source：TechCrunch)