The US government has announced more than US$2 billion (c. £1.48bn) of investments in critical minerals and related manufacturing projects as part of efforts to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on overseas sources.
The investments, announced by President Donald Trump during a mining industry roundtable on 7 August, cover materials used in battery manufacturing, semiconductors, permanent magnets and other industrial applications.
Among the largest is a US$1.4bn conditional loan commitment to expand production of silicon-carbon battery anodes and develop a lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facility at Sila Nanotechnologies’ Moses Lake facility in Washington. Currently, China dominates these supply chains. This investment is a direct step towards building domestic capacity and strengthening supply chains for satellite operations, unmanned aerial systems and munitions.
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Minnesota-based Niron Magnetics will also receive US$150m to develop and produce rare earth-free permanent magnets domestically, while US$400m will be invested in Sunrise Energy Metals to develop a scandium supply chain, including what the administration said would be the world’s first primary scandium mine.
Further investment will support domestic production of bauxite (a source of aluminium and gallium), boron, graphite, tantalum and niobium.
The US Development Finance Corporation will also match a US$4.8m investment in Harena Rare Earths to develop a mine in Madagascar, securing additional supplies of rare earth materials for US manufacturing.
The investments form part of a broader push by the Trump administration to strengthen US mining, processing, refining and manufacturing capacity amid concerns over vulnerabilities in critical material supply chains.
According to the White House, 160 minerals agreements worth almost US$40bn have been signed or approved since January 2025.
Alongside the industrial investments, more than US$180m is being directed towards mining education and workforce development. This includes US$100m for 14 US mining schools, with the aim of doubling the number of graduates with mining, minerals and associated supply chain credentials.
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