Microsoft buys over $1B worth of poop to counter pollution caused by AI

Microsoft is spending over a billion dollars to flush its emissions down the drain… literally.

The tech giant has signed a deal with Vaulted Deep to bury 4.9 million metric tons of carbon using a slurry of human and agricultural waste injected 5,000 feet underground. It’s a wild-sounding plan aimed at offsetting the emissions generated by Microsoft’s booming AI empire.

According to Inc, the cost of removing a ton of CO2 using this method sits around $350. As per Tom’s Hardware, that would put Microsoft’s deal north of $1.7 billion, though neither company confirmed the exact figure.

“Generally, what happens to these wastes today is they go to a landfill, get dumped in a waterway, or they’re just spread on land,” said Vaulted Deep CEO Julia Reichelstein. “In all of those cases, they’re decomposing into CO2 and methane. That’s contributing to climate change. And then oftentimes, especially when it’s spread on land, all those pathogens are going directly into people’s groundwater.”

Microsoft is using poop to counter AI slop

Vaulted mixes the waste, including everything from biosolids and manure to food scraps, into a sludgy cocktail, then injects it into deep geological formations sealed off from the surface.

For every ton of carbon locked away, Microsoft gets a carbon removal credit, effectively canceling out emissions on paper and polishing its eco-credentials.

The process may sound dystopian, but it’s already in use in cities like Los Angeles and Derby, Kansas. With Microsoft’s backing, Vaulted Deep plans to scale up massively.

“Vaulted offers a dual solution,” said Reichelstein. “It meets urgent waste management needs and drives measurable climate and public health improvements.”

Microsoft’s Brian Marrs called the company “a waste management company that’s become a carbon dioxide removal company,” and said its co-benefits approach sealed the deal.

The 4.9 million tons from Vaulted Deep adds to Microsoft’s already aggressive carbon removal strategy with 59 million tons purchased across other projects in 2025 alone.

AI may be the future, but it’s leaving a dirty trail. Microsoft’s answer? Bury the problem, waste and all.