DACLab expands to UAE through ‘Innovation Expand’, propelling the UAE towards its net zero targets

As the drive toward carbon neutrality accelerates worldwide, Direct Air Capture (DAC) has emerged as a promising technology to remove CO₂ directly from the atmosphere. Strengthening the UAE’s position as a global hub for climate innovation, Silicon Valley–based DACLab is expanding into the country through Innovation Expand, a co-funding platform by Sustain Labs Paris (SLP) and Posterity Institute, developed in collaboration with the Government of Dubai.

The move follows DACLab’s recent $3 million seed round and an announcement at GITEX 2025, underscoring the company’s intent to rapidly commercialize and scale its technology in the region.

DACLab is building a proprietary DAC system designed to lower the energy cost of atmospheric carbon removal. In ideal DAC operating conditions, the technology targets approximately 1,500–1,800 kWh per metric ton of CO₂ captured—significantly below many first-generation approaches. To accelerate deployment, the company plans to offer modular systems sized for different use cases: compact 100-ton-per-year units for pilots and distributed sites, and 1,000- and 5,000-ton configurations for industrial-scale applications. Captured CO₂ can be permanently stored or utilized for products such as synthetic fuels, materials, and carbonated applications, depending on project needs and regulatory frameworks.

Through Innovation Expand, DACLab will receive co-funded project opportunities to establish on-the-ground operations in the UAE. The platform provides operating partnership support, helping startups navigate local implementation, secure pilot sites, coordinate with relevant stakeholders, and integrate technologies within industrial value chains.

Leaders of the Innovation Expand platform highlighted the UAE’s readiness to host frontier climate solutions. SLP emphasized that the platform acts as an operating partner to high-potential startups, enabling them to deploy and scale quickly across the country. Posterity Institute noted that the UAE offers a complete ecosystem—strategic guidance, government collaboration, and co-funded implementation—so that breakthrough technologies are not only launched but meaningfully integrated into the nation’s industrial and sustainability frameworks.

DACLab’s leadership described the expansion as a pivotal step in translating laboratory advances into large-scale climate impact. The company views the UAE as one of the most pragmatic and innovation-forward destinations for piloting and scaling DAC, citing the country’s focus on real-world deployment, supportive policy landscape, and growing climate-tech supply chains.

• Purpose: Deploy modular DAC technology to remove CO₂ directly from air and enable high-quality carbon removal at scale.
• Energy profile: Targets approximately 1,500–1,800 kWh per metric ton of CO₂ captured under optimal DAC conditions.
• Deployment options: 100-ton-per-year modules for pilots and distributed sites; 1,000- and 5,000-ton units for industrial scale-up.
• Market fit: Supports permanent storage or utilization pathways, including synthetic fuels and materials.
• Platform support: Innovation Expand provides co-funding, operating partnership, and ecosystem integration in the UAE.

By anchoring operations through Innovation Expand, DACLab aims to help advance the UAE’s net-zero ambitions and strengthen its leadership in climate innovation. Near-term priorities include selecting demonstration sites, finalizing project partnerships, and aligning with local standards for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) to ensure high-integrity carbon removal outcomes.

The expansion is expected to catalyze collaborations across industry, energy, and research sectors. As projects progress from pilots to multi-thousand-ton deployments, the company anticipates opportunities for workforce development, supply-chain localization, and technology transfer, further embedding climate-tech capabilities in the UAE.

DACLab’s entry into the region through Innovation Expand signals a new phase for direct air capture in the Middle East—moving from concept to implementation and contributing to the UAE’s broader strategy to scale transformative technologies that deliver measurable, durable climate impact.