The world is entering a new technology race. Countries are investing heavily in electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, data centers, renewable energy, advanced weapons, satellites, robots and modern communication systems. But behind all of these technologies is something much more basic: minerals. The world's most advanced machines depend on materials that most people rarely hear about. A small amount of gallium can play an important role in a radar system, while a tiny tantalum capacitor can determine whether an advanced electronic device works reliably. Similarly, a shortage of copper can slow the construction of an entire data center or power project.
This creates a major challenge for governments and technology companies. A country may have the money, software, engineers and factories needed to build advanced technology, but it can still face problems if it cannot secure the minerals required to manufacture that technology. The issue is not simply whether these minerals exist underground. Countries also need the ability to mine, process, refine and transform them into the materials required by modern industries. Here are 10 minerals that are quietly becoming essential to the future of technology.
Copper: The Metal Carrying the Electric Age
Copper is not considered an exotic or unusual mineral. It has been used for centuries and is already a major part of the global economy. However, its importance is growing rapidly because the world is becoming increasingly dependent on electricity. Copper is used in power lines, transformers, electric motors, charging stations, renewable-energy projects and data centers. Electric vehicles also require significant amounts of copper because they contain motors, wiring, batteries and charging systems.
As countries build more solar farms, wind farms, electric vehicles, power grids and data centers, demand for copper continues to rise. The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects global copper demand to increase by about 7 million tonnes by 2040. At the same time, current mining projects may not be enough to meet future demand. Based on projects currently planned, the world could face a supply deficit of around 25% by 2035.
The problem is not simply a lack of copper deposits. Building a new copper mine can take many years because companies must obtain permits, build infrastructure and invest billions of dollars before production begins. Existing mines also face another problem: declining ore grades. As the quality of ore falls, mining companies must process more rock to produce the same amount of copper. This means copper could become one of the most important limits on the world's ability to expand its electric infrastructure.
Lithium: The Mineral Inside the Battery Boom
Lithium has become one of the most important minerals in the transition to electric transportation. Lithium-ion batteries are used in electric cars, smartphones, laptops, drones and large-scale energy-storage systems. As more countries move toward electric vehicles and renewable energy, demand for batteries is expected to grow significantly. The IEA expects lithium demand to more than triple by 2040 under its stated-policy scenario.
Australia is one of the world's major lithium miners, while Chile, Argentina and China are important producers and processors. China also plays a major role in converting raw lithium into chemicals used by battery manufacturers. The rise of alternative battery technologies could reduce pressure on lithium in some areas. Sodium-ion batteries, for example, can reduce the need for lithium in certain applications.
However, lithium remains deeply connected to the global battery industry. The challenge for governments is therefore not simply finding more lithium. They must also develop reliable supply chains that can move lithium from mines to chemical processing plants and finally to battery factories.
Graphite: The Battery Material Hiding in Plain Sight
Lithium gets most of the attention when people talk about electric-vehicle batteries, but graphite is just as important to conventional lithium-ion battery technology. Graphite is used to make the battery anode, which is the part of the battery where lithium ions are stored when the battery is charging.
Many countries have natural graphite deposits, but having graphite underground does not automatically mean that a country can produce battery-grade graphite. The material must go through several processing steps, including purification, shaping and coating. This is where supply-chain concentration becomes important.
China controls a large part of the world's graphite processing capacity. As a result, another country may have significant graphite resources but still be unable to quickly replace Chinese processed supplies if exports are disrupted. This is an important lesson in the global mineral race: mining is only one part of the supply chain. A country can have a large deposit but remain dependent on another country for processing.
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Cobalt: High Performance With a Human Cost
Cobalt is another important battery material. It helps improve the stability, energy density and lifespan of certain types of batteries, making it valuable for applications where performance and reliability are important. But cobalt is not only used in batteries. It is also used in jet-engine superalloys, cutting tools and other components that need to operate under extreme temperatures and difficult conditions.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the world's most important source of mined cobalt, while China also has a major role in refining the material. Cobalt has attracted significant controversy because of reports involving child labor, unsafe artisanal mining and environmental pollution. These concerns have created pressure on technology and battery companies to reduce their dependence on cobalt.
Battery manufacturers are already developing technologies that use less cobalt or avoid it completely in some applications. However, reducing cobalt use is more difficult in industries such as aerospace, where materials must meet demanding performance and safety requirements. This makes cobalt an example of the difficult choices involved in the global technology transition. Companies want cheaper, safer and more sustainable materials, but advanced industries still require materials that can perform under extreme conditions.
Nickel: More Battery Range, More Environmental Pressure
Nickel is another major material in modern industry. In some electric-vehicle batteries, nickel helps increase energy density. In simple terms, it can allow a battery to store more energy without becoming excessively heavy. That makes nickel valuable for electric vehicles that need longer driving ranges.
But nickel's importance goes far beyond batteries. It is widely used in stainless steel, gas turbines, chemical equipment and aerospace superalloys. Indonesia has become a major force in the global nickel industry, driving much of the recent growth in mining and processing. However, this rapid expansion has created environmental concerns.
Critics have raised concerns about deforestation, marine pollution, mining waste and the use of coal-powered facilities to process nickel. This creates a major challenge for the energy transition. Electric vehicles and clean-energy technologies are supposed to reduce emissions, but the minerals needed to build them can sometimes be produced using highly polluting industrial processes. The future of nickel will therefore depend not only on how much can be produced, but also on how cleanly it can be produced.
Rare Earths: The Magnets That Make Machines Move
Rare earths are a group of 17 chemical elements. Although all 17 are classified as rare earth elements, only a smaller number are especially important for modern high-tech applications. Neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium are particularly important because they are used to make powerful permanent magnets.
These magnets are essential for many electric motors and other advanced machines. They are found in electric vehicles, wind turbines, robots, drones and missile-guidance systems. The challenge with rare earths is that mining is only the beginning. After rare-earth minerals are extracted from the ground, they must be separated and processed. They then have to be converted into metals and eventually manufactured into high-performance magnets.
China has spent decades developing this industrial supply chain and remains the dominant player in many stages of it. According to the IEA, China's share of global rare-earth refining fell from more than 90% in 2023 to about 85% in 2025. That is a reduction, but it is still an extremely high level of concentration.
If export restrictions were introduced or supplies were disrupted, the effects could spread across automobile, energy and defense industries. This is why countries are increasingly trying to develop alternative rare-earth supply chains.
Gallium: A Small Metal With an Oversized Influence
Gallium is a relatively obscure metal, but it plays an important role in advanced electronics. It is used to produce gallium nitride and gallium arsenide, two semiconductor materials with special properties. These materials are used in radar systems, satellites, 5G equipment, LEDs and high-efficiency power electronics.
In certain high-frequency and high-power applications, gallium-based semiconductors can perform better than traditional silicon. That gives gallium strategic importance far beyond the small amount of material that is actually needed.
Another challenge is how gallium is produced. Gallium is generally recovered as a by-product when other metals are processed. It is therefore difficult to rapidly increase gallium production simply by deciding to mine more gallium. According to a US Geological Survey analysis, China accounted for as much as 98% of global gallium production in 2023. That level of concentration makes gallium particularly important for countries trying to protect their semiconductor, telecommunications, aerospace and defense industries.
Germanium: Helping Machines Communicate and See
Germanium is another relatively unfamiliar material with important high-tech applications. It is used in fibre-optic networks, infrared cameras, night-vision equipment, satellite solar cells and thermal-imaging systems.
One reason germanium is strategically important is that it serves both civilian and military industries. Fibre-optic communication systems depend on it, while infrared and thermal-imaging technologies are important for surveillance, defense and aerospace applications.
Like gallium, germanium is generally produced as a by-product of processing other metals rather than being extracted from large dedicated germanium mines. This creates a supply-chain problem. If a small number of processing facilities experience disruptions, several industries could be affected at the same time.
The small size of the germanium market does not mean the material is unimportant. In high-tech manufacturing, even a small component can become a major problem if there is no easy replacement.
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Tungsten: The Metal Behind Modern Tools
Tungsten is one of the strongest and most heat-resistant metals used by modern industry. It has the highest melting point of any metal and can maintain its strength under extremely difficult conditions. Because of these properties, tungsten is used in cutting tools, drilling equipment, aerospace components, furnaces and defense systems.
But one of its most important roles is less visible. Factories use tungsten-carbide tools to cut and shape hard materials such as steel and titanium. This makes tungsten a quiet but essential part of modern manufacturing. If manufacturers cannot obtain high-quality tungsten tools, producing many advanced products becomes more difficult.
Tungsten has also become more strategically important because of changes in global supply and trade. The IEA reported that tungsten prices increased sixfold during 2025 and early 2026 amid export controls and stronger demand. This shows how quickly a relatively small mineral market can become strategically important when supply is concentrated and demand increases.
Tantalum: Tiny Components With Serious Consequences
Tantalum may not receive the same attention as copper or lithium, but it has an important role in electronics. It is best known for tantalum capacitors, which can store electrical charge in very small spaces. These capacitors are used in smartphones, servers, medical implants, cars, aircraft and military electronics.
Tantalum demonstrates why small markets can still be strategically important. A modern machine may contain thousands of components, but one missing component can delay the production of the entire system. A tantalum capacitor is tiny compared with a car, aircraft or server, but without the right component, the larger machine may not work properly.
Supply can also be difficult because of conflict and governance concerns in parts of Central Africa. This makes responsible sourcing and supply-chain management particularly important for companies that depend on tantalum.
The Technology Race Starts Below Ground
The world is unlikely to run out of all 10 of these minerals at the same time. That is not the main concern facing governments and industries. The greater risk is losing access to one mineral that is difficult to replace. A shortage of one important material could delay an entire factory, power-grid project, electric-vehicle program, satellite system or defense project.
This is why mineral security is becoming a national-security and economic issue. The countries that control advanced technology will not necessarily be the countries with the largest mineral deposits. Having a deposit is only the first step. A successful supply chain requires mining, transportation, refining, processing and manufacturing. It also requires skilled workers, infrastructure, energy and investment.
For example, a country may have large graphite deposits but lack the facilities needed to turn that graphite into battery-grade material. Another country may have rare-earth resources but lack the technology and factories needed to turn them into powerful magnets. The same problem can occur with gallium, germanium, lithium and many other materials.
Recycling Will Become More Important
Recycling can also reduce pressure on mineral supplies. As more electric vehicles, batteries, electronics and renewable-energy equipment reach the end of their useful lives, more of the minerals inside them can potentially be recovered.
Recycling cannot completely replace mining because demand is growing rapidly. However, it can provide another source of materials and reduce dependence on new mines. Countries that build strong recycling industries could therefore become less vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The Real Competition Is About the Entire Supply Chain
The future technology race will not be decided only by who owns the largest mineral deposits. It will also depend on who can connect the entire supply chain. That means securing resources, building mines, developing processing facilities, expanding refining capacity, manufacturing advanced components and recovering valuable materials through recycling.
This is why minerals such as copper, lithium, graphite, cobalt, nickel, rare earths, gallium, germanium, tungsten and tantalum matter so much. They may not be as visible as smartphones, electric cars, robots, satellites or artificial-intelligence systems. But every one of those technologies depends on materials that come from somewhere beneath the ground. The countries that understand this connection and build reliable supply chains from mining to manufacturing will have far greater control over what the world can build next.
