• Demonstration proves low-carbon concrete can be produced at scale in Saudi Arabia without imported supplementary cementitious materials such as fly ash or GGBFS
• CNT-enhanced concrete targets durability and emissions reductions aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, the Saudi Green Initiative, and Net Zero 2060
• Technology creates a cost effective pathway for giga projects and national infrastructure under extreme heat and high salinity conditions

At Saudi Readymix’s headquarters, a field demonstration is testing how the Kingdom might decarbonize one of its most emissions intensive sectors using entirely local inputs. CHASM Advanced Materials and Saudi Readymix Concrete Company have completed a CNT-enhanced green concrete trial designed to operate within Saudi Arabia’s environmental, logistical, and supply chain constraints.

The collaboration brings together a US based carbon nanotube developer and one of the Kingdom’s largest concrete producers to test whether high performance, low carbon concrete can be delivered without relying on imported supplementary cementitious materials. For Saudi Arabia, where fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag are often unavailable at scale, the implications extend well beyond a single pilot pour.

H3 Addressing a Structural Emissions Challenge With Local Solutions

Concrete sits at the centre of Saudi Arabia’s construction led growth strategy under Vision 2030, spanning giga projects, transport corridors, industrial facilities, and urban expansion. It is also one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize. The Saudi Green Initiative targets a reduction of 278 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually and a pathway to Net Zero by 2060, placing pressure on materials suppliers to deliver solutions that align with domestic resource availability.

CHASM’s patented NTeC® carbon nanotube technology is positioned as a response to this constraint. By enhancing concrete performance at very low inclusion rates, the technology enables lower-carbon mixes without imported SCMs, avoiding supply bottlenecks and cost volatility.

The Dammam demonstration involved two adjacent four by four metre concrete pads. One used a standard control mix, while the second incorporated NTeC®-C carbon nanotubes. Both were produced using Saudi Readymix’s standard batching process, a critical factor for scalability across existing plants. The pads will remain under ongoing monitoring to assess long-term performance.

H3 Performance in Extreme Environmental Conditions

Saudi Arabia presents some of the world’s harshest operating environments for concrete. Extreme heat, rapid day to night temperature shifts, and elevated salinity levels in coastal cities such as Dammam, Jubail, and Khobar accelerate cracking and material degradation in conventional mixes.

CNT-enhanced concrete is engineered to improve crack resistance, compressive strength, and long term durability under these stresses. Initial results from the demonstration showed strong workability using standard production methods, while long-term monitoring will assess durability over time.

For infrastructure owners and developers, durability is directly tied to emissions outcomes. Longer lasting concrete reduces maintenance requirements, replacement cycles, and lifecycle carbon intensity, aligning climate objectives with financial performance.

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H3 Supporting Vision 2030 and National Capability Building

Saudi Readymix positioned the project as part of a broader strategy to strengthen domestic innovation while supporting national decarbonisation goals.

“The transition toward lower carbon construction is essential to the Kingdom’s sustainable growth. At Saudi Readymix, we continuously invest in research and development to advance solutions that support decarbonization and respond to the Kingdom’s evolving needs. Through purposeful innovation, we strengthen national capabilities, support Saudi Vision 2030, and fulfill our responsibility to preserve the nation’s wealth and its people for future generations,” said Mohammed Abuzaid, Managing Director.

For CHASM, the collaboration reflects a licensing-led approach rather than exporting finished materials into the region.

“CHASM’s CNT platform enables sustainable, high-performance concrete without the green premium,” said David Arthur, CEO and Co-founder of CHASM. “Our technology licensing model brings the lowest cost, most scalable CNT production to the Kingdom and beyond, supporting Saudi Arabia’s low carbon goals and enabling partners around the world to accelerate their own sustainability initiatives.”

H3 Implications for Giga-Projects and Global Construction

The Dammam pour is intended as a foundation for broader collaboration rather than a one-off trial. CHASM and Saudi Readymix plan to evaluate CNT-enhanced concrete across different regions of the Kingdom, testing performance under varied environmental and operational conditions.

For Saudi Arabia’s giga project pipeline, which requires massive volumes of concrete delivered at speed, locally produced low-carbon materials could materially reduce embodied emissions while improving supply security. For investors and policymakers, the project illustrates how decarbonization pathways in construction may differ across regions, shaped by local resources, climate conditions, and industrial strategy.

By grounding innovation in local materials, existing infrastructure, and national priorities, the CHASM and Saudi Readymix collaboration presents a pragmatic model for industrial decarbonization. As Vision 2030 projects move from planning into execution, the materials chosen to build them will play a defining role in whether Saudi Arabia’s climate ambitions can be delivered at scale.

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