The Water Environment Federation (WEF), alongside founding leaders Amazon, Leading Utilities of the World and the Water Center at Penn, have announced a major expansion of the Water-AI Nexus™ Center of Excellence.
The center’s advisory council said the expansion will help strengthen the cross-sector collaboration at the intersection of water and artificial intelligence.
The center is now welcoming key members of the WEF volunteer community, leading associations and companies including:
- The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA)
- The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA)
- ImagineH20
- The International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA)
- The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA)
- The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC)
- The National Rural Water Association (NRWA)
- Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN)
- WateReuse Association
- Autodesk
- CDM Smith
- Grundfos
- HDR
- Raftelis
- Xylem
Thought Leadership & Awareness
As members of the Advisory Council, partners will help guide the center’s priorities through thought leadership, participation in events and roundtables, and collaboration on programming and awareness building initiatives.
The Water-AI Nexus Center of Excellence will convene partners and stakeholders at major global forums in 2026 and 2027, including Global Water Summit (Madrid), Singapore International Water Week, Industrial Water Solutions: Powering the Circular Water Economy (Chicago), Collection Systems & Stormwater Conference (Portland), and WEFTEC (New Orleans and Chicago).
“From data centers to utilities, the challenge is clear: AI must be developed in ways that respect water limits, and water systems must be equipped with smarter tools,” said Keith Hobson, WEF President. “The Water‑AI Nexus exists to advance both ‘Water for AI’ and ‘AI for Water’.”
In addition to these new partners, the Water‑AI Nexus leverages WEF’s role as a neutral, trusted convener and a voice for the water sector. In supporting the work of the Water-AI Nexus, WEF will draw on the expertise of thousands of volunteer experts across its 24 technical communities, while also engaging a broad cross-section of utility and community perspectives through its network of 75 state, provincial, and global member associations.
“We believe that sustainable water management and digital infrastructure can reinforce each other for good, and we’re thrilled to welcome new voices to expand our reach and help guide Center activities,” added WEF Executive Director Ralph Exton.
To learn more about the Water-AI Nexus, please visit water-ai-nexus.org. The group said it continues to welcome engagement from mission-aligned organizations.
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