Holcim
Swiss multinational building-materials company; world's largest cement producer; paying Gigaton customer.
Last refreshed: 7 June 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Holcim
Gigaton lands $26m for plant autonomy
UK Startups and Innovation- Is Holcim the same company as LafargeHolcim?
- Yes. LafargeHolcim was formed when Holcim and Lafarge merged in 2015. The combined company rebranded simply to Holcim in 2021, dropping the Lafarge name.Source: Holcim
- What is Holcim's net-zero plan for cement production?
- Holcim has committed to net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, with intermediate 2030 targets including a specific reduction in CO2 per tonne of cement. It is pursuing multiple decarbonisation routes including AI plant optimisation, alternative fuels, and low-carbon cement formulations.Source: Holcim
- What AI technology is Holcim using in its cement plants?
- Holcim is a paying customer of Gigaton, a UK company that uses industrial AI to optimise cement plant operations in real time. Gigaton's software adjusts combustion and blending parameters to reduce energy use and CO2 emissions without physical plant modifications.Source: event
Background
Holcim is a Swiss multinational building-materials company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, and the world's largest cement producer by volume. It was formed through a series of major mergers, most recently absorbing Lafarge in 2015 to create LafargeHolcim before reverting to the Holcim name in 2021. The company operates in approximately 70 countries with around 60,000 employees, producing cement, aggregates, concrete, and roofing materials. Holcim has set a net-zero target for 2050 and published one of the more detailed decarbonisation roadmaps among industrial majors, with intermediate targets for 2030 including a specific CO2-per-tonne-of-cement reduction commitment.
Holcim is a paying customer of Gigaton (formerly Carbon Re), which raised a $26m (£19.3m) Series A on 3 June 2026. Gigaton's AI platform optimises cement plant operations in real time, adjusting combustion and material-blending parameters to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions without requiring capital investment in new equipment. Holcim's adoption alongside peers Heidelberg Materials and Adani Cement confirms that the platform has achieved multi-customer commercial traction across the global cement industry's top producers.
Holcim's scale as the world's largest cement producer makes its commercial validation of Gigaton particularly significant. The company processes hundreds of millions of tonnes of cement per year, so even small percentage efficiency gains translate into substantial emissions reductions and cost savings. Holcim's presence on Gigaton's customer roster will likely accelerate conversations with other major producers who monitor Holcim's operational technology choices closely.