Less Energy and Water for Data Centers: The Power of Filtration – with Kurk Wilks, MANN+HUMMEL | DeepDive CleanTech #116

In this episode of DeepDive CleanTech, David Wortmann talks with
Kurk Wilks, President and CEO of MANN+HUMMEL, about a product most
people only notice once it fails: the filter. The Ludwigsburg-based
filtration specialist, celebrating its 85th anniversary this year,
sums up its purpose in a single sentence, namely separating the
useful from the harmful. Its strongest new growth driver has become
AI data centers, where around 40 percent of energy demand goes into
thermal management. This is exactly where filtration comes in, on
the air side against particles and corrosive gases and in the
treatment of cooling water. Wilks explains why a good filter pays
off, pointing to the interplay of energy consumption, operating
costs and carbon footprint. Another topic is the handling of PFAS:
MANN+HUMMEL filters the forever chemicals out of water while
working to gradually replace them in its own membranes with
fluorine-free alternatives. An episode about how a German family
business grows between regulation, the data center boom and the
circular economy, and what role filtration plays in clean air,
clean water and clean industry.