Building a better water and energy future
The NSF Futures Engine in the Southwest, led by Arizona State University, is advancing technologies to safeguard the region's deep-tech economy, addressing critical challenges related to water and energy.
Spanning Arizona, Nevada and Utah, the NSF Futures Engine brings together an ecosystem of more than 180 partners across universities, national laboratories, industry, finance, government and community organizations.
The Futures Engine has connected research, industry and capital to accelerate the development and deployment of technology solutions that meet industry needs, while supporting workforce development and job creation and driving long-term economic growth across the U.S. Southwest.
Technologies of focus include:
- Atmospheric water harvesting technologies that capture water vapor from the air for commercial and industrial use, including systems designed to operate in low-humidity environments.
- Advanced water reuse and treatment systems that improve water efficiency in high-demand industries such as semiconductor manufacturing and data infrastructure.
- Long-duration energy storage systems that provide reliable, low-emission alternatives for grid-scale energy storage.
- Biomass-to-energy and resource recovery technologies that convert forest and agricultural waste into renewable fuels, power and usable materials.
Region of service
The Futures Engine serves Arizona, Nevada and Utah, a rapidly growing region that is emerging as a hub for artificial intelligence-driven growth in the United States. Dozens of multi-gigawatt data centers and semiconductor fabrication facilities are planned or already operating across the tristate area, increasing demand for reliable technology solutions that support infrastructure at scale.
Addressing challenges in a key U.S. region
The U.S. Southwest is under increasing strain from population growth, prolonged drought and rising industrial water and energy demand. Ensuring resource resilience across this region is critical to sustaining long-term economic growth and maintaining U.S. competitiveness.
The Futures Engine is responding by advancing technology solutions designed to strengthen water and energy systems and support durable, long-term economic development across the region in advanced manufacturing industries.
Workforce development: Building the Southwest's water, energy and air technology talent pipeline
As new technologies move from research to deployment, the Futures Engine is building a talent pipeline to ensure the resulting jobs and economic growth remain rooted locally.
These efforts have included:
- Training and upskilling more than 1,300 workers through Futures Engine-supported programs.
- Providing hands-on training, including a pilot technician program aligned with LDES careers.
- Expanding STEM education through programs such as the Green Box curriculum, reaching more than 9,400 students across the region.
- Supporting regional workforce initiatives including the Maricopa County Sustainability Collaborative, which has trained more than 5,400 community college students.
- Hosting the Futures Engine Workforce Challenge, which engaged more than 840 participants across nearly 3,400 course enrollments on local air, water and energy issues.
Examples of recent impact
The Futures Engine has launched more than 24 collaborative projects focused on water and energy technologies and attracted more than $24 million in public and private investment to the region.
- 8 startups accelerated through the NSF Futures Engine's innovation grants, which collectively raised more than $16 million in additional funding.
- 16 research and development projects advanced through catalyst grants, in collaboration with 26 partner organizations.
- More than 10 water-related technologies addressing regional scarcity and industrial demand advanced toward commercialization.
- Real-world pilots enabled ecosystem partners to evaluate emerging technologies, including six atmospheric water harvesting systems operating across regional test beds.
Additional Information
Lead organization: Arizona State University
Region of service: Arizona, Nevada and Utah
NSF awards: NSF-2315479
Key technology areas:
Advanced Manufacturing, Energy Technology, Materials Research