NTT Data, one of the world's largest data center operators, is purchasing carbon removal credits from Swiss startup Climeworks, marking the first major partnership between a leading AI infrastructure company and an engineered carbon removal provider. The exclusive deal, revealed Thursday, signals potential momentum in an emerging market as the power demands of artificial intelligence collide with mounting climate concerns.
The exact volume remains undisclosed, but Climeworks co-CEO Christoph Gebald indicated the arrangement could deliver hundreds of thousands of tons of removed carbon over a decade. NTT Data, which operates roughly 200,000 employees globally and ranks among the largest digital infrastructure providers worldwide, has committed to zeroing out emissions tied directly to its data centers by 2030, with the Climeworks agreement helping offset additional emissions by 2040.
The partnership arrives at a pivotal moment. Energy consumption from AI is drawing sharp scrutiny of data centers' environmental footprint at a time when major voluntary purchasers have paused commitments. Microsoft, historically the sector's biggest buyer of carbon credits, has stepped back from new acquisitions, leaving a gap that industry watchers are monitoring closely.
David Costa, NTT Data's chief sustainability officer, framed the deal as a response to client demands. "Clients are asking for sustainability strategies that are measurable, operational and grounded in real data," he said.
Climeworks uses large fans and filters to extract carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, storing or utilizing it. The company also began procuring nature-based carbon removal credits in 2024, which often cost less but face durability questions compared to engineered approaches. Thursday's deal includes both types.
The significance extends beyond tonnage. Giana Amador, founding executive director of the Carbon Removal Alliance, noted that carbon removal appeals to data center operators because deployment timing is flexible. "They can purchase it as an offset," she explained, rather than requiring infrastructure built alongside projects.
However, meaningful scale remains elusive. The Climeworks deal, while notable for an early-stage industry, pales against the emissions trajectory tied to the broader AI buildup. Julio Friedmann, chief scientist at Carbon Direct, points to an uncomfortable truth: the relentless pace of AI development is consuming companies' attention and resources almost entirely. "The unprecedented speed required, money at stake, and degree of difficulty leave little room inside these companies for consideration of carbon removal," he said.
Industry leaders expect pressure to mount as AI adoption accelerates. Gebald predicts that carbon removal costs will eventually be built into cloud and AI product pricing, with enterprise customers absorbing expenses rather than individual users. As customers increasingly ask what emissions accompany their computing needs, carbon removal could shift from a corporate virtue signal to what Gebald calls a "critical product feature."
Climate issues have largely receded from public focus as the AI race intensifies and geopolitical crises demand immediate attention, but this deal suggests the tech sector may be quietly recalibrating its environmental obligations in private board rooms and procurement departments.
Author James Rodriguez: "NTT Data's move is smart positioning for a data center operator watching its clients demand sustainability proof, but without a flood of similar deals from competitors, this still feels more like damage control than genuine climate leadership."
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