NSF backs Delta Bravo’s AI platform for water utilities with $5M award

Delta Bravo Artificial Intelligence, Inc. has secured a $5 million Phase 2 award from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator program to advance Aquaspec, an AI-powered operating system designed for water and wastewater utilities.

Built in collaboration with operators, the system combines predictive analytics, real-time guidance and decision support to improve safety, efficiency and resilience in utility operations. The company says the platform can cut treatment and troubleshooting time by a factor of 10, deliver 25% cost savings across chemicals, energy and labor, and restore compliant services 10 times faster following an interruption.

“Operators are under enormous pressure, working long hours to protect public health while navigating aging infrastructure and increasing compliance demands,” said Rick Oppedisano, founder and CEO of Delta Bravo. “Aquaspec was built with them, for them.”

The project is part of NSF’s Future Water Systems track, which brings together researchers, utilities and industry partners to co-develop solutions for U.S. freshwater challenges. Partners include the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, Clemson University, BlueTech Research and several regional utilities.