SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TDK Corporation (TSE: 6762) announced today that subsidiary TDK Ventures, Inc. has invested in CO2 removal startup Spiritus to accelerate the company’s innovative direct air capture (DAC) technology to market and to tip the scales in favor of removing billions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere by 2050. The origins of Spiritus’ game-changing carbon removal technology began with co-founder and CTO Matt Lee’s world-leading research in complex fluids engineering as a Group Leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Bringing together a hub of incredible minds with CEO Charles Cadieu (founder of Caption Health, IQ Engines) – Spiritus has charted a path towards capturing millions of tons of CO2 per year at a cost approaching $100/ton.
As listed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is a crucial element of all scenarios to limit global warming to 2oC or lower by 2100. Estimates predict anywhere between 5 to 20-billion tons of carbon will need to be captured and removed per year to keep apace. Visionary organizations, such as Spiritus, can increase the efficiency of capture while reducing cost can tap into a future multi-trillion-dollar market.
Built upon the new sorbent material invented by Dr. Lee, Spiritus has developed a passive DAC process along with a novel low-temperature regeneration (desorption) method – a system the company called the Spiritus Carbon Orchard™ – which will enable affordable carbon removal at scale for a wide range of companies and organizations. With this funding, Spiritus is accelerating several major facilities, starting with a New Mexico pilot facility capable of 1,000 tons per year of carbon capture when fully operational, followed by a 2 million ton per year Orchard One project in Wyoming. Spiritus is already gaining traction with partners as they demonstrate the efficiency, scalability, and transformative potential of their technology in the carbon removal industry.
TDK Ventures President, Nicolas Sauvage commented, “It is truly inspiring what the Spiritus team has been able to accomplish. Their creativity and prowess are driving the cost of high-quality CDR as low as we have ever seen in a way that can be deployed at scale in a matter of months, not years. Spiritus is exactly the kind of company TDK wants to champion – hard, materials tech that can change the world for the better. I know I speak for the whole team when I say how excited we are to accelerate and support their technology to market.”
Spiritus CEO Charles Cadieu spoke on the partnership, commenting, “TDK Ventures is an ideal investor and partner in this space. In addition to their financial support, it’s incredible to see that TDK goodness also means the support of a huge network of people and organizations with the same vision as ours of improving the world through technology. We are already experiencing the benefits of their support.”
The investment in Spiritus represents another example of TDK and TDK Ventures’ commitment to Green Transformation (“GX”) towards a net-zero and a clean tomorrow. The partnership also represents the opportunity for unique collaborations and learnings across TDK business units, including sensor technologies and improved understandings of the carbon capture landscape and the “art of the possible” for future endeavors.
To learn more about TDK Ventures, interested startups or investment partners should visit www.tdk-ventures.com or reach out at contact@tdk-ventures.com.
About TDK Corporation
TDK Corporation is a world leader in electronic solutions for the smart society based in Tokyo, Japan. Built on a foundation of material sciences mastery, TDK welcomes societal transformation by resolutely remaining at the forefront of technological evolution and deliberately “Attracting Tomorrow.” It was established in 1935 to commercialize ferrite, a key material in electronic and magnetic products. TDK’s comprehensive, innovation driven portfolio features passive components such as ceramic, aluminum electrolytic and film capacitors, as well as magnetics, high-frequency, and piezo and protection devices. The product spectrum also includes sensors and sensor systems such as temperature and pressure, magnetic, and MEMS sensors. In addition, TDK provides power supplies and energy devices, magnetic heads and more. These products are marketed under the product brands TDK, EPCOS, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics and TDK-Lambda. TDK focuses on demanding markets in automotive, industrial and consumer electronics, and information and communication technology. The company has a network of design and manufacturing locations and sales offices in Asia, Europe, and in North and South America. In fiscal 2024, TDK posted total sales of USD 14.6 billion and employed about 101,000 people worldwide.
About TDK Ventures
TDK Ventures Inc. invests in startups to bolster innovation in materials science, energy/power and related areas typically underrepresented in venture capital portfolios. Established in 2019 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of TDK Corporation, the corporate venture company’s vision is to propel the digital and energy transformations of segments such as robotics and industrial, next-generation transportation, mixed reality and the wider IoT/IIoT markets. TDK Ventures will co-invest and support promising portfolio companies by providing technical expertise and access to global markets where TDK operates. Interested startups or investment partners may contact TDK Ventures: www.tdk-ventures.com or contact@tdk-ventures.com.
About Spiritus
Spiritus is a climate tech company at the forefront of Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology. With a dedication to innovation and sustainable stewardship of our environment, Spiritus has crafted a unique solution that achieves rapid sorption and desorption rates at a fraction of the sorbent cost versus state-of-the-art sorbents under passive DAC conditions. The company's approach combines the Spiritus Sorbent and the Spiritus Carbon Orchard, offering a scalable and modular system for low-cost DAC and sequestration (DAC+S). Spiritus is committed to making carbon removal an accessible and practical tool in the global fight against climate change. For more information, visit Spiritus.com.
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