Ng told us that each DCI unit costs around SG$33,000 (US$25,000) and can treat - very roughly - enough water for about 1MW to 1.3MW of cooling infrastructure. To cover the whole output of SIN10 would therefore need 20 to 25 DCI units, which suggests a cost of maybe US$500,000, although no figures have been quoted to us for the deal.

The installation was partially funded by a Singapore government program to save water, and Digital claims it saves 1.24 million liters of water per month.

Blocks of cement infused with a form of carbon similar to soot could store enough energy to power whole households. A single 3.5-meter block could hold 10kWh of energy, and power a house for a day, and the technology could be commercialized in a matter of years, the scientists say.