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Direct air capture (DAC) is a leading technological carbon removal solution that offers what corporate buyers value most: the ability to remove CO₂ directly from the atmosphere and store it permanently underground for geological timescales. With unmatched durability, precise measurement, and flexibility to deploy anywhere, DAC provides the highest permanence guarantees available—though at a premium of $400-1,000 per tonne compared to alternatives like biochar.
The market has exploded thanks to tech giants with aggressive net-zero commitments. Microsoft alone accounts for over 80% of all durable carbon removal purchases, having secured roughly 18 million tonnes over the past two years. Other major buyers include Amazon, Airbus, Shopify, Stripe, JP Morgan Chase, and members of Frontier, an advance market commitment that has pledged over $1 billion to permanent carbon removal by 2030.
1PointFive / Stratos (United States)
The World's Largest Direct Air Capture Facility
1PointFive, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum, is building Stratos—the world's largest direct air capture facility—in Ector County, Texas. Using liquid solvent technology developed by Carbon Engineering, Stratos is designed to capture up to 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year, making it roughly 14 times larger than Climeworks' Mammoth facility. In April 2025, Stratos received the first-ever EPA Class VI permits issued to sequester CO₂ from a DAC project, with commercial operations expected by end of 2025.
At this industrial scale, 1PointFive leverages Occidental's 50+ years of CO₂ management experience and secured geologic storage capacity for up to 6 billion tonnes. BlackRock invested $550 million through a joint venture, demonstrating institutional confidence in the technology.
Notable Buyers:
- Microsoft: 500,000 tonnes over six years—the largest single DAC purchase to date
- Amazon: 250,000 tonnes over 10 years
- Airbus: 400,000 tonnes over four years
- JP Morgan Chase: 50,000 tonnes
- Shopify, All Nippon Airways, Houston Astros, Houston Texans and others
Future Pipeline: Beyond Stratos, 1PointFive is developing a second DAC hub in South Texas on the King Ranch, supported by up to $650 million from the U.S. Department of Energy and potential $500 million joint venture investment from ADNOC's XRG.
Climeworks (Switzerland/Iceland)
The Pioneer of Commercial DAC with Solid Sorbent Technology
Climeworks operates the world's first commercial-scale direct air capture and storage facilities in Iceland, where they harness geothermal energy and partner with Carbfix to permanently mineralize captured CO₂ in basalt rock formations. Their proprietary solid sorbent technology uses modular collector containers with filters that selectively capture CO₂, which is then dissolved in water and injected underground—converting to solid carbonate minerals within approximately two years.
Their flagship Mammoth Plant (2024) has nameplate capacity of up to 36,000 tonnes per year. Climeworks holds the only independently certified AAA-rated DAC projects in the industry, backed by rigorous MRV (measurement, reporting, verification), with seven years of field experience and close to 200 million data points processed daily.
Notable Buyers:
- Microsoft: 10,000 tonnes over 10 years (one of the earliest DAC deals)
- Shopify: Early pre-purchase agreements
- Swiss Re, Stripe, UBS, Airbus and others through various offtake agreements
Future Pipeline: Climeworks is part of three megaton DAC hub proposals in the U.S., with Project Cypress in Louisiana targeting at least 1 million tonnes per year. In July 2025, they raised $162 million from private investors, bringing total funding to over $1 billion. Their Generation 3 technology promises to halve both costs and energy consumption, targeting $250-350 per tonne by 2030.
Deep Sky (Canada)
The Technology-Agnostic Carbon Removal Platform
Deep Sky takes a fundamentally different approach—operating as the world's first "technology-agnostic" carbon removal project developer that brings together multiple DAC providers under one roof. Their flagship Deep Sky Alpha facility in Innisfail, Alberta hosts DAC units from providers including Airbus, GE Vernova, Mission Zero Technologies, Skyrenu, and others, enabling side-by-side comparison and optimization under identical conditions.
In August 2025, Deep Sky achieved North America's first underground CO₂ storage via direct air capture. The company went from land lease signing to operational facility in under 12 months and has secured $130 million from investors including Breakthrough Energy Catalyst ($40 million—their first-ever Canadian and DAC investment), Microsoft, and major Canadian banks.
Notable Buyers:
- Microsoft and Royal Bank of Canada: Joint founding buyers committed to 10,000 tonnes over 10 years, with options for up to 1 million additional tonnes
- Rubicon Carbon: Multi-year offtake agreement
Future Pipeline: Deep Sky Manitoba, announced October 2025, will be one of the world's largest carbon removal facilities with 500,000 tonnes annual capacity at full scale. They're also advancing projects in Quebec for in-situ mineralization.
Comparing the Three Leaders
The DAC Cost Trajectory
Today's DAC costs remain high—typically $400-1,000 per tonne. But costs are falling: Climeworks targets $250-350 per tonne by 2030, and industry projections from ETH Zürich suggest $230-540 per tonne is achievable by 2050. For context, the voluntary carbon market saw DAC purchase prices ranging from $100 to $2,000 per tonne in 2024, with an average around $490.
Partner with Senken for High-Quality DAC Credits
Senken works with leading carbon removal projects to give you access to the highest-quality credits available. Whether you're looking for the industrial scale of 1PointFive, the pioneering verification of Climeworks, or the innovative platform approach of Deep Sky, we can help you integrate DAC into your carbon removal portfolio.
The DAC market is moving fast. Microsoft and other major buyers are locking in multi-year agreements, and the best projects are filling their pipelines. Early movers who secure credits now will benefit from preferential access as demand outpaces supply.
Ready to explore DAC for your carbon removal strategy? Contact Senken today to discuss how these projects can help you achieve credible, permanent climate impact.
