Direct air capture (DAC) could be a vital technology in meeting the world’s climate goals by 2050. Keeping emissions on a path that prevents more than 1.5 degrees C of warming will require a substantial amount of negative emission solutions to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the atmosphere. Among all carbon removal solutions, DAC is attractive owing to its permanence, flexible location, scalability and ease of monitoring. What is the business case for DAC? What is the market’s growth potential? Where are the opportunities for cost reduction? What challenges remain to be tested through the piloting of large-scale plants?