Critical Minerals

Every time we pick up our phones or open our laptops, we interact with nearly half the periodic table. The materials that make modern life possible are more complex — and more critical — than most people realize. Research into critical minerals and rare earth elements is urgent for sustaining domestic energy security and ensuring that essential elements — such as the neodymium needed for powerful magnets and the gallium crucial for semiconductors — are reliably sourced. Because the U.S. imports the majority of these minerals, supply chain disruptions pose a significant and growing risk. Our researchers draw on expertise across geology, geochemistry, materials science, and AI and machine learning to develop the specialized, selective tools needed to locate, extract, and process these resources — and lead Berkeley Lab’s contributions to METALLIC, a nine-national laboratory initiative to accelerate domestic critical mineral supply chains.