Microsoft Invests in Fortera to Accelerate Low-Carbon Cement Adoption
Microsoft has announced a strategic investment in Fortera, a green cement manufacturer, through its Climate Innovation Fund (CIF). The deal secures Microsoft access to Fortera’s ReAct™ low-carbon cement and environmental attribute certificates (EACs), marking a decisive step in the company’s effort to reduce embodied carbon in its datacenter construction footprint. Cement accounts for roughly 7–8% of global CO₂ emissions, making this sector one of the most critical targets for deep decarbonization.
Brandon Middaugh, general manager of sustainability markets & Climate Innovation Fund at Microsoft, explained that the company is committed to making long-term investments that align with its 2030 carbon-negative pledge. He emphasized that corporate investment plays a catalytic role in jumpstarting and scaling nascent climate markets, with low-carbon cement being a prime example. The Fortera partnership was chosen due to its potential for achieving deep emissions cuts, its competitive cost targets, and its ability to integrate into existing production infrastructure without major disruptions.
Fortera’s ReCarb technology underpins this effort. By capturing CO₂ and reincorporating it into cement production, ReCarb enables the manufacture of cement with up to 70% lower emissions than conventional ordinary portland cement (OPC). Critically, this technology is designed to be drop-in compatible with existing cement plants, eliminating the need for expensive facility overhauls while maintaining cost parity and performance reliability. This scalability makes Fortera a strong candidate to transform one of the most entrenched and carbon-intensive industries.
Ryan Gilliam, CEO of Fortera, underscored that Microsoft’s involvement accelerates the path from breakthrough technology to commercial adoption. Fortera has already established its flagship ReCarb Plant in Redding, California, and has secured partnerships with industry leaders such as Graymont, while also demonstrating successful use of its product in live construction projects. Microsoft’s investment not only validates this momentum but also provides an early demand signal that could help scale supply across the broader construction ecosystem.
As part of the collaboration, Erik Urosa, group manager of impact investments at Microsoft, will join Fortera’s board as an observer. This strengthens governance and signals Microsoft’s intent to be deeply engaged in steering Fortera’s commercial scale-up. For Microsoft, this is more than a sustainability gesture—it is a strategic play to grow the supply chain of climate-aligned building materials, paving the way for future datacenters and infrastructure projects to be constructed with significantly lower embodied carbon.
By leveraging its capital and market position, Microsoft is positioning itself not just as a consumer of sustainable materials but as a force shaping the trajectory of industrial decarbonization. If successful, this approach could set a template for how corporate buyers can create markets for low-carbon products that might otherwise struggle to achieve commercial lift-off. This is where Microsoft’s strategy transcends its own operational footprint: the investment in Fortera signals to the entire construction industry that scalable, cost-competitive low-carbon cement is no longer a distant vision but an emerging reality.