Normally this goes in shower thoughts but will post main timeline today.
$ALOY - Rare earth powders -> high-purity metals. Magnets used in the liquid cooling pumps
$NB - Scandium, lightweight metal frames for server racks.
$UURAF- Separation of rare earths.
$ARA - Upstream feedstock for magnets
$MEI - IAC deposit outside of China.
$NTU - hard-rock heavy rare earths
These are all more under the radar stuff like sub <$1B.
Then for robotics supply chains I made this earlier:
$UUUU - Processes monazite sand into high-purity Neodymium
$MP - Extracting bastnäsite at Mountain Pass and vertically integrating into domestic NdFeB magnet manufacturing.
$ALOY - Converting heavy rare earth oxides into defense-grade alloys and high-temperature metals like Samarium and Gadolinium
$USAR- Process heavy rare earth elements and manufacture sintered NdFeB magnets
$LYSDY -(Lynas Rare Earths Limited) - Only commercial producer of separated heavy rare earth elements outside of China.
$NEO -(TSX): They are the only Western company commercially producing the actual NdFeB magnetic powders and alloys at scale right now.
$ILU- (rare earths refinery): rare earths refinery for Australia
$ARU- (ASX): "Ore-to-oxide" NdPr facility 2. Structural Metallurgy (Niobium, Vanadium, Titanium, Beryllium) $ATI - Dominant US producer of high-performance titanium and specialty alloys required for robotic joints. $CRS - US supplier of specialty structural alloys, including the high-strength steels, titanium, and magnetic
$FCX - World's largest producer of Molybdenum, which is strictly necessary for the structural steel in planetary roller screws.
$NB - Critical pure-play company developing the Elk Creek project in Nebraska, aimed at supplying domestic Niobium, Scandium, and Titanium
$MTRN - Major global processor of Beryllium
$LGO - Leading publicly traded processors of Vanadium
$BMM - Onshore supply and processing for like Germanium and Gallium
$VNP - Gallium, Germanium, and Indium for advanced sensors and electronics
$TECK - Most significant producer of Germanium outside of China
$ALB - Lithium extraction
$EAF - High-purity Graphite for battery anodes
$ALTM - Western lithium required to supply the batteries
$SYR - Balama mine for Graphite
$FCX - Humanoid requires up to 6.5 kilograms of copper $AW1 (ASX): Advancing the West Desert project in Utah, for domestic geological sources for high-grade Gallium and Indium
I'm aware of a lot of more... It's just some are a little dangerous to mention geopolitically in case I broadcast vulnerabilities to geopolitical adversaries reading this (looking at you $AXTI)
If you're going long on a western one 5n my favorite.
Image source: Crossdock Insights, Visual Capitalist
FYI this is not the pandoras box stuff.
Just name dropping some interesting names informally before finishing up some research on a specific long idea.
Critical elements required for semiconductor packaging and others close to near-total import reliance
-> so prob influx of funding going toward it.
Just informal thoughts