Boosting US Mineral Supply: A $2B Investment Plan

The White House has announced a massive $2 billion investment plan to boost the US supply of critical minerals. These minerals are used in advanced technologies like satellites, drones, and fighter jets. The plan aims to reduce the country's dependence on overseas supplies and support domestic production of materials like silicon-carbon battery anodes, scandium, and permanent magnets.

The largest investment is $1.4 billion for Sila Nanotechnologies, a California-based company developing silicon-carbon battery anodes. This funding will support expanded production of the anodes and the buildout of a lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facility. The resulting supply will support satellite operations, unmanned aerial systems, and munitions.

Another key investment is $400 million for Sunrise Energy Metals to develop a full scandium supply chain, including a primary scandium mine. Scandium can be added to aluminum to produce lightweight alloys with higher strength and heat resistance, making the material useful in aerospace applications.

The White House is also investing in companies like Niron Magnetics, which is developing permanent magnets without rare earth elements. This technology aims to reduce reliance on foreign rare-earth supplies while supporting domestic production of magnets used across modern electronics and defense systems.

The administration is pairing these industrial investments with more than $180 million for mining education and workforce development. This includes $100 million for 14 mining schools to increase the number of graduates with mining, minerals, and related supply-chain credentials. The Department of War will provide more than $80 million to three schools for workforce programs and technology innovation hubs focused on training geologists, metallurgists, and mining engineers.

The White House said the administration has signed or approved 160 minerals deals totaling nearly $40 billion since January 2025. This effort aims to expand domestic production of materials considered important to national and economic security.