MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
A 22-year-old Emirati entrepreneur has developed an AI-powered system that pulls drinking water from thin air - a solution she hopes can help ease water scarcity and cut reliance on energy-intensive desalination.
Hoor Alkatheeri, co-founder and CEO of HAAY, launched the atmospheric water generation startup last July alongside co-founder Hassan Al Ameri.
The company is among 17 startups selected for the inaugural cohort of the MZN Hub71 programme, a joint initiative between Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development and Hub71, Abu Dhabi's global tech ecosystem.
Alkatheeri's journey began with one question at 19 years old: why is reliable access to clean water still not a given in many parts of the world?
"The more I researched, the more I realised water was not just a wellness issue. It was an access issue, a sustainability issue, and in many places, a dependency issue," she told Aletihad in a recent interview.
How the Technology Works
Atmospheric water generation is a process that draws in ambient air and condenses moisture from humidity to produce purified drinking water.
HAAY's current unit generates approximately 65 litres daily, enough to serve around 250 people, according to Alkatheeri.
In this system, artificial intelligence is leveraged to optimise performance, reducing energy consumption by about 20% compared with typical water generation systems.
The UAE currently relies heavily on desalination, a process that is energy-intensive and produces environmental byproducts. HAAY aims to position atmospheric water generation as a complementary solution aligned with the country's 2031 water security goals.
"If the air is abundant and surrounds us every single day, there's a chance where we can utilise it to create water on-site without depending mainly on systems that contribute negatively to our planet," Alkatheeri said.
The company has secured pilot agreements and is currently building units for deployment.
Scaling Beyond the UAE
The startup frames its mission as an extension of the environmental legacy of the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
"He believed caring for the environment is part of our heritage. We're trying to bring that vision into the future of water," Alkatheeri said.
HAAY plans to expand internationally, with ambitions to position the UAE as a global leader in climate technology.
"The potential to make water accessible goes beyond the UAE," Alkatheeri said. "It's a UAE-born technology built to position the UAE as a global catalyst when it comes to climate tech."
As part of the first MZN Hub71 cohort, HAAY is receiving support to advance its solution from prototype development to real-world pilots.
The programme, launched in May, helps early-stage Emirati startups in Al Ain transform ideas into market-ready solutions.