Canada will focus on securing supplies of critical minerals when it hosts its Group of Seven partners this week at a meeting of energy and environment ministers in Toronto, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said in an interview on Tuesday…"We will see this week many examples of us moving beyond talks to firm commitments to fund several types of tools (to secure critical minerals)," Hodgson said. The G7 meeting will be held from October 30 to October 31…Earlier this year G7 officials, opens new tab met in Chicago and discussed price floors backed by government subsidies, which the U.S. recently introduced to encourage domestic production of critical minerals…Canada will also aim to cement offtake agreements, or financing deals where a buyer agrees to purchase a producer's output in the future for a predetermined price…He said Canada intended to be a leader in securing supply chains for all of its key allies, to reduce reliance on China. Canada produces several critical metals such as nickel, copper and cobalt…Some of the announcements expected this week from the G7 meeting will be on stockpiling of critical minerals and investments in new mining and processing operations, Hodgson said.

Japan and the United States agreed to a deal on new-generation nuclear power reactors and rare earths, as Tokyo seeks a way back to export markets for its nuclear technology and both look to reduce China's dominance over key electronic components…U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signed a framework agreement on Tuesday for securing the supply of rare earths used in everything from cars to fighter jets…They signed the documents, which included critical minerals, at the neo-Baroque-style Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, beneath three chandeliers swathed in gold ornamentation, as aides applauded…They made no direct public mention of China, which processes more than 90% of the world's rare earths, making it the source of each country's concern about its mineral supply chain. Beijing has recently expanded export curbs…Japan and the United States would use economic policy tools and coordinated investment to speed "development of diversified, liquid, and fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths", the White House said in a statement…They aim to provide financial support to selected projects within the next six months, it added. Both countries would consider a mutually complementary stockpiling arrangement and cooperate with international partners to ensure supply chain security, it said.

For the last five decades, silicon—not precious metals or fossil fuels—has been the sole, barely visible engine behind our existence. From data centers to spacecraft, from the car you drive to the mobile gadget you use, everything depends on little pieces of silicon. It has acted as the foundation of a technological civilization and the invisible drive of human development…We have gotten to the very edge of physics, a constraint so basic that no amount of creative engineering can surpass it. Threats exist on the well-known Moore's Law, which forecast doubling of computer chip performance every several years. These tiny switches inside the chips have shrunk such that the laws of quantum mechanics are now working against us…For the first time in fifty years, the digital realm has a tough question: What follows silicon?...Under Professor He Linpeng's supervision, a team of researchers in a calm lab at Peking University may have found a revolutionary remedy: a discovery changing the worldwide technical terrain. Their creativity is not yet another silicon-based chip. A distinctive and beautiful crystal—bismuth, notably a substance known as bismuth oxy-selenide—is used to make it…Electrons in silicon move slowly, like pedestrians walking across a crowded road, encountering scattering and inertia. On the other hand, in 2D bismuth their movement is virtually flawless, like to cars drifting down an unobstructed motorway. This unlocks what scientists are calling the Bismuth Chip Revolution…First assessments are astounding: a 40% rise in performance and a 10% decrease in power consumption—numbers indicating a significant breakthrough in the chip business…The tale of the bismuth chip is explosive not only because it reflects a scientific advancement but also because it has geopolitical repercussions…For years, the United States, South Korea, and Taiwan have had a lot of influence over the semiconductor supply chain. These countries govern the software, equipment, and chip designs upon which the whole world runs. China has been mostly left out of the high-end chip business even if it is the top producer of electronics worldwide, especially after U. S. sanctions preventing cutting-edge technology access…China will be able to jump forward rather than just catch up if bismuth chips can actually outperform silicon. And here's the wry turn that keeps U. S. decision-makers uneasy as China controls 70–80% of the worldwide bismuth supply…Particularly personally resonant for big players in Silicon Valley—Intel, NVIDIA, and Apple—this realization. Silicon underpins the modern semiconductor industry. Every piece of equipment, every manufacturing facility ("fab"), and every software framework is customized for this substance…Naturally, the path from investigation to sales is long and uncertain. Sometimes prototypes do not turn into mass-produced goods. Large-scale production of materials that look excellent under microscopes can fail. China still depends on Western design tools and high-precision lithography equipment as well…The circumstances this time are, however, rather different. More than a scientific experiment, the bismuth chip has a vital part in a national project. The goal of "semiconductor self-sufficiency" in China has become a source of national pride, survival, and impact…Should it succeed, a bismuth-oriented chip ecosystem could pave the way for the next advancements in computing…Highly efficient artificial intelligence processors able to learn without overheating…Who will have command over it once it is running?

LONDON, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fortune Minerals Limited (TSX: FT) (OTCQB: FTMDF) (“Fortune” or the “Company”) (www.fortuneminerals.com) announces that it has retained P&E Mining Consultants Inc. (“P&E”) to prepare the new Mineral Reserve estimates, mine plan and production schedule for the updated NICO Project Feasibility Study currently in preparation by Worley Canada Services Ltd. (“Worley”) and other engineering companies. The NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper critical minerals project (“NICO Project”) is comprised of a planned open pit and underground mine and concentrator in the Northwest Territories (“NWT”) and a dedicated hydrometallurgical facility in Lamont County, Alberta where concentrates from the mine, and other feed sources, will be processed to value-added products. The new Mineral Reserves and project economics are expected to materially benefit from higher metal prices, particularly gold and bismuth…Development of the vertically integrated NICO Project will strengthen North American critical mineral supply chain resilience and security, a priority for western governments that need to reduce their dependence on foreign entities of concern…The NICO Project will be a reliable producer of critical minerals in a Tier 1 jurisdiction with supply chain transparency and custody control of the contained metals from ores through to the production of value-added products needed for the energy transition, new technologies and defense…The NICO Project is the largest deposit of bismuth in the world with 12% of global reserves and China currently controls 80% of global mine production and 90% of refined bismuth supply. Notably, China has placed restrictions on the export of bismuth to western countries in retaliation for tariffs, and this together with growing consumption, has caused prices to escalate from US$6 to US$17 per pound…Fortune plans to make cobalt sulphate heptahydrate at its Alberta Hydrometallurgical Facility used to make lithium-ion rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles, portable electronics and stationary energy storage cells…About 78% of global cobalt supply is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”), and most of the mines there are controlled by Chinese State-Owned Enterprises (“SOE’s”). Chinese SOE’s also control 83% of global refined cobalt supply and 93% of cobalt chemical supply.