Does DAC for Data Centers Work? Carbon Capture in Digital Infrastructure

Data centers are expanding at an unprecedented pace. AI, cloud computing, and digital services are driving a surge in demand for computing power, and with it, a rapid increase in energy consumption and environmental scrutiny. But how can this growth continue under tightening sustainability requirements?

This question is becoming increasingly important as regulators, investors, and hyperscalers raise the bar. Sustainability is no longer a marketing claim. It is now embedded in permitting processes, grid access decisions, and long-term business viability.

This is where a new idea is gaining attention: Data Centers DAC. But does Direct Air Capture in data centers actually work? And can it solve the core challenges that have limited DAC so far?

To understand whether DAC in data centers works, it helps to start with the fundamental challenge of carbon capture technology. Direct Air Capture removes CO₂ directly from ambient air. But atmospheric CO₂ concentrations are extremely low, at around 0.04%. This means conventional DAC technologies must process enormous volumes of air to capture relatively small amounts of carbon dioxide.

If DAC is so challenging, why should data centers be looking into it? Well, air-cooled data centers continuously circulate massive volumes of air to keep servers within safe temperature ranges. At the same time, they generate large amounts of low-grade waste heat as a byproduct of computation. And unlike outdoor environments, they operate under tightly controlled temperature and humidity conditions.

For DAC technologies, a data center therefore creates ideal conditions – especially if the low-grade waste heat can be leveraged for regeneration. This is exactly what our DAC technology at Atoco does. Based on nano-engineered reticular materials, we can not only leverage the existing airflow but also the ultra-low-grade waste heat of data centers. Find out more in our white paper: Built-In Direct Air Capture: The Data Center Opportunity

Even in an ideal environment, DAC still depends on one critical factor: the performance of the material that captures CO₂. Incumbent DAC technologies often rely on liquid solvents or solid sorbents that require high temperatures for regeneration. These approaches can work in industrial settings, but they are not well suited for data centers, where available heat is typically in the range of 30 to 70°C.

This is where our carbon capture innovation based on reticular materials comes into play. Solid-state CO₂ capture using advanced materials such as Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) offers a fundamentally different approach. These materials are engineered at the molecular level to selectively capture CO₂, even at very low concentrations.

Because of their structure, our COFs can operate efficiently in low-concentration CO₂ capture environments and release CO₂ at much lower temperatures than conventional materials. This makes them compatible with the low-grade waste heat available in data centers. This is not just an incremental improvement. It is a shift in how DAC technologies can be designed and deployed in data centers.

One of the most interesting aspects of Data Centers DAC is that it changes the economic model of carbon capture. Traditionally, carbon capture has been seen as a cost. But when integrated into data centers, it can become a source of value.

Captured CO₂ can be sold for industrial use or converted into high-quality carbon removal credits. These credits are increasingly in demand as companies look for credible ways to address emissions that cannot be eliminated directly.

At the same time, demonstrating verifiable carbon removal can improve permitting outcomes and access to grid capacity. In competitive markets, this can be a decisive advantage. This raises a broader question: could carbon capture become part of the core business model of data centers? At Atoco, we think our COF carbon capture solution can bridge the gap between high sustainability targets and economic considerations for data centers.

Read more on how we enable more sustainable data centers with our DAC technology in this white paper: Built-In Direct Air Capture: The Data Center Opportunity

So, does DAC in data centers work?

The answer is yes, but only with the right DAC technology.

Standalone DAC systems face significant challenges because they must create airflow, generate heat, and operate in variable environments. Data centers, by contrast, already provide these elements by design. When combined with solid-state carbon capture technologies based on advanced materials such as COFs, this creates a system where:

• airflow is already available

• energy input is minimized through waste heat use

• operating conditions are stable and predictable

In this context, Data Centers DAC is not just possible. It is potentially one of the most efficient pathways for scaling low-concentration CO₂ capture.