Omen AI has acquired competitor Aquatic Labs in a $16 million cash-and-stock deal. Both startups focus on real-time water monitoring for data center cooling, a critical issue as US data centers use 17 to 19 billion gallons of water annually, a figure expected to triple in five years. The acquisition combines Omen AI's sensors, which detect water elements, with Aquatic Labs' alkalinity testing technology, aiming to integrate them into a single sensor for market release by early next year. This move is expected to help data center operators use cooling fluids longer and minimize downtime costs.