Turning Wastewater Into Fertilizer: David Gory on Algae, Farmers, and the Water Problem AI Is Making Worse

How much water does AI actually use, and what happens to it afterward? Data centers, water scarcity, and wastewater pollution are becoming one of the most urgent stories behind the AI boom.

In this episode of Bay Area Innovators, host Steve Ispas sits down with David Gory, founder and CEO of Airbuild and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, whose startup uses microalgae to treat wastewater and recover nutrients at the same time. David explains how data centers using evaporative cooling draw water from aquifers and rivers, lose roughly 80 percent to evaporation, and are left with a concentrated remainder that can push waterways past legal nutrient limits.

His own path started in Nigeria, where he relied on well water because the sources around him were too polluted to trust. He immigrated to the United States at 16.

The conversation covers how Airbuild's BioPod technology works, why small cities hosting new data centers often lack the treatment infrastructure to handle them, and what it takes to raise money for a water company when nearly all the capital is chasing AI.