Dive Brief:
- The Energy Department will make up to $60 million available for two additional critical mineral programs, the agency said in an Aug. 25 release.
- One program aims to support organizations developing technologies to shorten the evaluation timeline for ore deposits. The other focuses on using AI and high-throughput experimentation to create new types of rare earth magnets, the release said.
- "Developing faster, more accurate resource evaluation tools, and creating a new more powerful class of magnetic materials will enable America to unlock domestic reserves, strengthen supply chains, and enhance U.S. energy and economic security," Daniel Cunningham, acting director of the department's Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, said in the release.
Dive Insight:
The programs comply with President Donald Trump's March 20 Executive Order to develop U.S. critical mineral resources. The order seeks to reduce the country's reliance on foreign nations for materials necessary for domestic and military manufacturing.
The Energy Department launched the latest round of Notice of Funding Opportunity two weeks after making nearly $1 billion available for projects that advance and expand mining, processing and manufacturing technologies for critical minerals.
The DOE allocated $40 million to the Reliable Ore Characterization with Keystone Sensing program. The funding targets the development of advanced drilling, sensing, and analytical technologies that cut the time needed to evaluate ore deposits from years to months.
The department dedicated the remaining $20 million in funding to the Magnetic Acceleration Generating New Innovations and Tactical Outcomes program. The financing will support the development of novel magnetic materials with new chemistries and microstructures, per the DOE.
The MAGNITO funding targets organizations employing AI, machine learning and high-throughput experimentation, the DOE said. The latter refers to research techniques that use automated systems and parallel processing to conduct large numbers of experiments simultaneously or in rapid succession.
The financial support addresses the national and economic security threat posed by an over-reliance on foreign nations for critical mineral mining and processing, the administration said.
In 2023, the U.S. imported 100% of 12 out of 50 critical minerals, according to an Energy Department document. China, a U.S. economic and political rival, is a major producer of rare earth metals and magnets crucial for semiconductors, automakers, aerospace manufacturers and military contractors.
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