Climeworks, a Swiss company that specializes in direct air capture carbon removal, has chosen Austin, TX for its U.S. headquarters.  

"Company officials said Austin is an ideal location for its U.S. headquarters because of its strong talent pool, business-friendly environment and central location. The city's quality of life also makes it an attractive place to draw talent from outside Texas, they said,” as reported in the Austin American Statesman. “ Another draw, officials said, is that Austin is a leader in climate change, with a goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2040.”

In Austin, Climeworks will build teams across engineering, project management, supply chain, technology and other functions, the article reported. 

Climeworks' largest working project removes about 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. The $800 per ton price is about eight times more expensive than what experts think is likely to spur wide-scale adoption, illustrating the challenges facing the technology, according to Reuters.

Climeworks customers include Microsoft, UBS, Shopify and Accenture. In December, Climeworks said it has agreed to sell 80,000 metric tons of carbon credits to consulting firm BCG over 15 years, its biggest and longest-duration deal.