Gradiant acquires Synauta, machine learning company, to advance AI technology in water

Gradiant’s digital twin combined with Synauta’s AI creates powerful models for water and wastewater treatment and reuse – resulting in lower energy and chemical consumption and operating costs

Boston--(ANTARA/Business Wire)- Gradiant, a global solutions provider and developer for cleantech water, today announced it has acquired Canadian artificial intelligence (AI) water technology company Synauta, to accelerate the use of digital twin technology in water. The use of digital twins in industrial water treatment and desalination and water reuse has been pioneered by Gradiant. The acquisition strengthens Gradiant’s position as a technology leader in end-to-end water solutions and accelerates deployment of digital twin technologies to build a digitized water future.

“Digital water is the fastest-growing area in the global water industry and this acquisition brings together the very latest technologies,” said Prakash Govindan, COO of Gradiant. “The application of digital twins in water will grow even more rapidly as we further leverage 5G communications, industrial automation, and predictive analytics. Combined with Synauta’s AI data models, industrial water treatment just got smarter, cleaner, and significantly more efficient.”

Spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Gradiant is an end-to-end water solutions provider offering design, operations, and asset optimization integrated on to a single digital platform for clients that include Micron, Glaxo Smith Kline, Pfizer, Rio Tinto, and Coca-Cola. An estimated $1.5 trillion per year is required to address global water infrastructure, and digital solutions play a major role. Recent market research forecasts annual capital expenditures for digital water to reach $10 billion by 2030, with investments in artificial intelligence technologies to account for $6.3 billion. Industrial and municipal customers are increasingly adopting AI platforms for their water and wastewater operations to address challenges from sustainability and cost pressures, business continuity, regulatory compliance, and climate events.

Synauta’s proprietary machine learning AI algorithms are deployed in municipal and industrial desalination facilities around the world. Synauta’s technologies reduce operating costs by determining optimal operating conditions and maintenance programs based on real-time process data and are trusted by leading clients such as Singapore’s PUB, Veolia, Aqualia, Engie, and GHD.

“Joining Gradiant gives Synauta the ability to scale the use of data and AI in industrial deployments with global clients. This acquisition creates a digital powerhouse for the water industry that will bring the goal of industrial water sustainability closer to realization,” said Mike Dixon, CEO of Synauta.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.

Gradiant is a global solutions provider and developer of cleantech water projects for advanced water and wastewater treatment. Gradiant's end-to-end solutions and technology expertise enable sustainable and cost-effective treatment of the world's most important water challenges. With a full suite of differentiated and proprietary technologies, powered by the top minds in water, Gradiant serves its clients' mission-critical operations in the world's essential industries. Gradiant was founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to create and deploy sustainable water treatment solutions and is uniquely positioned to address the world’s increasing challenges created by industrialization, population growth, and water stress. Today, with over 400 employees, Gradiant operates from its global headquarters in Boston, regional headquarters and global R&D innovation labs in Singapore, and offices across ten countries. For more information, please visit gradiant.com.

Synauta combines a deep understanding of desalination and machine learning artificial intelligence to treat more water with less energy and chemicals to reduce operating costs for our customers. The company’s proprietary algorithms determine optimal operating conditions and maintenance programs for water facilities of leading organizations around the world. More information at synauta.com.

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Felix Wang

Gradiant, VP of Marketing

fwang@gradiant.com

Consort Partners

gradiant@consortpartners.com