Learn About Critical Minerals and How They Drive Global Energy Transition and Technological Innovation

Written by Caio Aviz

Published on 28/07/2025 at 14:50

Minerais estratégicos utilizados em baterias, turbinas e semicondutores ganham destaque na transição energética mundial

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Strategic Resources Gain Spotlight in the Clean Energy, Technology and Security Industry

Critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earths, have become protagonists in the global economic scenario.
They are essential for the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, and semiconductors.

With the advancement of the energy transition and the increase in global digitalization, the demand for these elements is growing steadily.
This raises alerts about the dependence on a few suppliers and the risks of scarcity.

Countries and economic blocs have been adopting measures since 2020 to reduce vulnerability in the supply chain of these strategic inputs.

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Limited Supply Puts Economic Security on Alert

Although the market for critical minerals has shown strong expansion, the supply is still concentrated in a few countries.
China dominates the production of rare earths, accounting for more than 60% of the global total, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) in a 2023 report.

This increases the vulnerability of other economies, especially in the defense and high technology sectors, where these minerals are irreplaceable.
Moreover, extraction and refining involve environmentally delicate processes, which impose additional challenges.

Diversifying global production with sustainability has become one of the top goals of major economies in recent years.

Demand Growth Drives Global Policies

The race for renewable sources, such as solar and wind, and for the electrification of urban mobility has caused the demand for lithium and cobalt to quadruple since 2015.

The World Bank warned in 2022 that to meet global climate targets by 2050, current production of these inputs will need to be multiplied by six.

Several countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and members of the European Union, have structured national plans to explore and refine critical minerals.
These actions strengthen local productive chains and reduce external dependence.

Sustainability and Geopolitics Influence Strategic Decisions

Beyond economic importance, critical minerals play a central role in geopolitical strategies.
Energy security and dominance over technological production chains have become priorities for various nations.

Governments, such as that of the USA, classified these minerals as national security assets in 2021.
At the same time, there is a growing demand for extraction processes with lower environmental impact, which drives investments in clean mining.

There are also incentives for a circular economy, allowing for the reuse of materials throughout the value chain.

Technological Innovation Depends on Stability in the Supply Chain

The advancement of artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and the Internet of Things directly depends on these resources. In addition, nickel and rare earths are crucial for electronic components and high-performance electric motors.

However, shortages or disruptions in the supply of these minerals can compromise the development of entire sectors. For this reason, companies and governments have been accelerating bilateral partnerships and multilateral agreements since 2023.

Thus, these actions aim to ensure a stable, sustainable, and ethical supply of these elements, which are essential for the economy of the future.

Learn About Critical Minerals and How They Drive Global Energy Transition and Technological Innovation

Strategic Resources Gain Spotlight in the Clean Energy, Technology and Security Industry

Limited Supply Puts Economic Security on Alert

Demand Growth Drives Global Policies

Sustainability and Geopolitics Influence Strategic Decisions

Technological Innovation Depends on Stability in the Supply Chain

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The James Webb telescope spotted a planet 700 light-years from Earth with mornings full of sand clouds and nights with clear skies, the temperature difference between the two hemispheres reaches an impressive 170 degrees.

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While Saudi Arabia and Qatar are already closing a 300-kilometer-per-hour bullet train to connect the capitals in two years, Brazil is still at the stage of auctioning the first freight railway that should actually come to fruition.

Turkey hit a target using a real warhead and confirmed that its SOM-J cruise missile is ready, another step for the country to become a power that manufactures and exports its own military technology.

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Japan and Mercosur may reach an agreement to lower the cost of cars and auto parts, with manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan coming into focus.

Learn About Critical Minerals and How They Drive Global Energy Transition and Technological Innovation

Strategic Resources Gain Spotlight in the Clean Energy, Technology and Security Industry

Limited Supply Puts Economic Security on Alert

Demand Growth Drives Global Policies

Sustainability and Geopolitics Influence Strategic Decisions

Technological Innovation Depends on Stability in the Supply Chain

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Engineers had to pour concrete mixed with tons of ice throughout entire nights in the Dubai desert to erect the Burj Khalifa; any carelessness could clog the pipes half a mile high.

The James Webb telescope spotted a planet 700 light-years from Earth with mornings full of sand clouds and nights with clear skies, the temperature difference between the two hemispheres reaches an impressive 170 degrees.

Giant trucks with no one in the cabin have already moved more than 8.6 billion tons of rock and ore around the world, equivalent to more than a thousand Great Pyramids, all without a single recorded injury.

The largest precious metals mine under construction in the world is situated on a layer of ore 25 times thicker than common mines in South Africa, and has just connected a third shaft that will quintuple the extraction of platinum, palladium, and gold.

The most abundant mineral on Earth makes up about 38% of the planet’s volume and dominates the mantle hundreds of kilometers deep, but it is so inaccessible that humanity only managed to touch it thanks to a meteorite that fell in Australia in 1879.

China wants to transform coal waste into a source of critical metals and use industrial ash to extract germanium, lithium, gallium, and aluminum used in batteries, chips, and electric vehicles.

Without producing a single ton of copper today, Argentina wants to become one of the ten largest producers of the metal in the world by 2035, betting on the Andes deposits and billion-dollar incentives from the Milei government to unlock projects that have been stalled for decades.

Samara left the city, built a small power plant on her property, and now lives surrounded by waterfalls, her own energy, sustainable recycling, and preserved nature in the Serra da Mantiqueira.

While Saudi Arabia and Qatar are already closing a 300-kilometer-per-hour bullet train to connect the capitals in two years, Brazil is still at the stage of auctioning the first freight railway that should actually come to fruition.

Turkey hit a target using a real warhead and confirmed that its SOM-J cruise missile is ready, another step for the country to become a power that manufactures and exports its own military technology.

While the United States and China compete over giant rockets and lunar bases, India made a “spaceplane” land on its own at over 320 km/h after being released by a helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km; Pushpak shows that New Delhi also wants to enter the era of reusable space vehicles.

Japan and Mercosur may reach an agreement to lower the cost of cars and auto parts, with manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan coming into focus.