#USA #London #Tencent #Climate Innovation #CarbonX 2.0

Tencent Powers Climate Innovation through CarbonX 2.0

In an ambitious move towards climate sustainability, Tencent has unveiled the winners of its CarbonX 2.0 initiative at a key event held at the esteemed London Science Museum, co-hosted with TED during the 2026 London Climate Action Week. Sixteen innovative teams were awarded nearly $30 million in catalytic funding, aimed at accelerating their climate solutions from the experimental phase to impactful real-world applications. This initiative attracted a significant number of 660 applications from 54 countries across six continents, showcasing an impressive range of ideas targeting various aspects of climate change.

The Winning Teams

The selected teams represent diverse technology domains, each focusing on critical climate challenges:

• - Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): Innovations such as direct air capture technologies, including Aircapture (USA) and Parallel Carbon (UK/US), which aim to directly extract CO₂ from the atmosphere, showing promise with pilot projects in Kenya.
• - CCUS for Steel: Teams like Shanghai Advanced Research Institute and VITO are pioneering approaches in one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize, steel production, implementing solutions that reduce carbon output.
• - Carbon Utilization (CCU): Ventures like CERT Systems (Canada) and Seerstone (US) focus on converting captured CO₂ into valuable materials, contributing to a circular economy.
• - Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES): Companies like Quino Energy (US) are working on solutions that enhance the stability of renewable energy sources, with offerings that ensure energy availability around the clock.

Additionally, Tencent has extended tailored support to six teams, providing vital services such as Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and commitments for carbon credit procurement.

Tencent's Commitment to Climate Goals

Tencent's leadership in climate action extends beyond funding. As part of its decarbonization strategy, Tencent is actively working on reducing emissions across its operations through initiatives in renewable energy use and infrastructure efficiency. In recent years, the company reported a significant reduction in emissions: 2,399,814.9 tCO₂e for Scope 1 and 2, and an additional 263,962.5 tCO₂e for Scope 3 in 2025. These achievements underscore Tencent’s commitment to reaching carbon neutrality in its operations and supply chains by 2030.

Tencent has also made strides in enhancing energy efficiency through new technologies such as the T-AIDC data center architecture, which boosts power efficiency to over 98%, allowing for greater AI workload management. The electricity consumption derived from renewable sources surged from 49.8% in 2024 to 83% in 2025, illustrating robust progress towards the sustainability goals.

A Vision for the Future

Commenting on this initiative, Dr. Hao Xu, Vice President of Tencent's Sustainable Social Value and Head of Climate Innovation, emphasized, “The climate challenge demands bold innovation and accelerated action. CarbonX 2.0 reflects Tencent’s role as a catalyst, connector, and mobilizer within the climate ecosystem.” By providing substantial funding and utilizing its extensive network, Tencent aims to enable the commercialization of climate innovations that could significantly impact global sustainability efforts.

As the world grapples with intensifying climate threats, Tencent’s proactive approach to investing in innovation underscores the urgency for collaborative efforts in the environmental domain. With comprehensive support for climate technology and meaningful emissions reductions in its operations, Tencent is not only leading by example but also paving the way for other corporations striving to achieve a sustainable future.

Conclusion

With the rollout of CarbonX 2.0, Tencent is reaffirming its commitment to tackling climate change by backing the next generation of transformative innovations. As these teams work to develop and scale their solutions, Tencent’s concerted efforts signal a hopeful trajectory towards a greener, more resilient planet.