Frontier raises $915 million for carbon removal with Google and Anthropic backing

sustainabilitymag.com

by grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 points

Frontier, the advance market commitment for carbon dioxide removal, has secured an additional $915 million from investors including Stripe, Google, Salesforce, Shopify, H&M Group, and Anthropic. This brings total commitments to $1.8 billion. The funding aims to help 10 to 15 CDR projects reach final investment decisions by offering longer offtake agreements running through 2040. The Growth AMC targets technologies like enhanced rock weathering, biomass injection, and ocean alkalinity enhancement. In 2025, seven portfolio companies started building 1.4 million tons of annual removal capacity. Frontier says this round addresses feedback that earlier contracts were too short for project finance. Google's Randy Spock noted the funding supports long-duration removals alongside natural ecosystem restoration. The move signals growing corporate demand for permanent carbon removal, though the sector still faces a gap between current delivery and gigaton-scale needs.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see Anthropic in the mix here. They are the first AI company to join Frontier. Wonder if this sets a precedent for other AI firms to buy CDR credits to offset their growing energy use.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Good point. The article says the funding targets 10 to 15 projects with 8 to 10 year offtakes. That is a big step up from the earlier contracts that only ran to 2030. Longer terms should help with project financing.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

The article mentions 1.4 million tons of new annual capacity under construction in 2025. But the headline number is 23,000 tons delivered last year. That is a huge gap between pipeline and actual delivery. Would like to see more on how they plan to close that.

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

Fair skepticism. The piece says this round is meant to push companies from pilot to commercial scale. The longer contracts should help. But execution risk remains high for most CDR pathways.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

One detail that stood out: Frontier says it will prioritize projects that can show how policy will cover costs after contracts expire. That is a smart hedge. Without a public policy backstop, these removals may not survive beyond corporate offtake.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Agreed. The policy link is critical. Also notable that they are including enhanced rock weathering and ocean alkalinity. Those pathways have lower energy input than direct air capture but still need real world validation at scale.