We just covered Bill Gates’ 2026 Portfolio: Top 10 Stocks to Buy. Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) ranks #7 (see the Bill Gates’ 2026 Portfolio: Top 5 Stocks to Buy).

Water treatment company Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) has become a new AI play amid its exposure to liquid cooling solutions for data centers. How? The company recently announced to buy direct-to-chip liquid cooling CoolIT Systems for $4.75 billion. Ecolab (NYSE:ECL)’s closed-loop technology could solve the water-based cooling problem by replacing traditional, evaporative air cooling with sealed systems that recycle the same fluid indefinitely.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) is positioning itself as the “end-to-end” provider for the thousands of new data centers opening globally. The world faces a projected 56% water deficit by 2030. Ecolab’s solutions could become essential for tech and industrial businesses in the future. The stock ranks 7th in our list of the top stocks in Bill Gates’ 2026 portfolio.

While we acknowledge the potential of ECL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

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