A powerful new initiative—Critical Minerals and Materials to Unlock Supply (CM2US)—is harnessing artificial intelligence to transform how the U.S. discovers, develops, and delivers the critical minerals essential to modern technologies. Led by twelve U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories—including Ames National Laboratory and its Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub, Argonne, Idaho Los Alamos, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, National Energy Technology Laboratory, National Laboratory of the Rockies, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, Sandia and SLAC—and supported by a coalition of innovative private-sector partners, CM2US uses AI to accelerate breakthroughs across the entire supply chain, from mining to manufacturing.
At the heart of the CM2US initiative is an AI-driven engine that serves as a strategic guide for the entire critical minerals and materials supply chain. This system generates a dynamic digital map of the process—from mining to market—pinpointing the most promising opportunities and anticipating potential challenges before they emerge. By integrating advanced data platforms and machine learning with deep scientific expertise, the initiative enables smarter, faster decision-making and helps validate promising technologies early in development.
Ihor Hlova, Ames Lab and CMI Hub scientist and co-lead for the project, said the initiative provides new opportunities for discovery and process optimization.
“When training AI, the quality of our data is the quality of our models. With automation led by Ames Lab scientist Long Qi, within CM2US we can collect that data at unprecedented speed and consistency, running hundreds of experiments in days instead of years and enabling truly predictive, AI-guided discovery and process optimization,” said Hlova.
CM²US exemplifies how national labs and industry can work together to solve challenges of national importance—strengthening America’s industrial base, securing supply chains, and ensuring global leadership in AI and energy relevant technologies.
Ames National Laboratory and the Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub have long been at the
forefront of securing the nation’s access to critical materials. As the DOE’s flagship center for research on rare earths and other essential elements, Ames Lab and the CMI Hub lead efforts to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities through innovation in recovery, substitution, and efficient processing of critical minerals. This leadership directly supports the Department of Energy’s mission to advance energy security and economic resilience by ensuring reliable access to the materials that power energy technologies, national defense systems, and high-tech manufacturing.
“The CM2US collaboration is a logical extension and next leap forward of Ames National Laboratory’s historic expertise in rare earths and critical materials, and CMI’s successful history of industry collaboration and bringing new technologies to market,” said Tom Lograsso, Director of CMI Hub. “Accelerating the pathway from laboratory to market has always been part of CMI’s mission. AI is essential for accelerating discovery.”
This project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, an initiative to revolutionize American science and innovation through artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and next-generation research platforms. Ames National Laboratory plays a key role in this effort by leveraging its expertise in materials discovery, computational modeling, and AI-driven research to accelerate breakthroughs in energy innovations and critical materials.
Ames National Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science National Laboratory operated by Iowa State University. Ames Laboratory creates innovative materials, technologies, and energy solutions. We use our expertise, unique capabilities, and interdisciplinary collaborations to solve global problems.
Ames Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit https://energy.gov/science.