critical mineral

American  

[krit-i-kuhl min-er-uhl, min-ruhl] / ˈkrɪt ɪ kəl ˈmɪn ər əl, ˈmɪn rəl /

noun

1. a mineral or element, such as aluminum, cobalt, lithium, or nickel, that is declared by the U.S. government to be necessary for the production of nationally important technologies and is difficult to source, especially because of its rarity or location.

---

Etymology

Origin of critical mineral

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

The February 26 ban covered exports of all raw minerals but focused on raw lithium, a critical mineral of which Zimbabwe is Africa's largest producer, shipping most to China's massive rechargeable battery sector.

From Barron's

For Australia, European demand for critical minerals and a boost in European investment will help to lift the Australian economy.

From The Wall Street Journal

The State Department’s Pax Silica initiative is building the network the AI race requires, knitting together energy, critical minerals, semiconductor manufacturing and computing capacity across trusted nations.

From The Wall Street Journal

Smith ends by emphasizing, “the thesis for precious and critical minerals has not broken; it has only gotten stronger.”

From MarketWatch

South Africa, with its large deposits of coal, platinum, gold, and industrial metals, could benefit from the global energy and critical minerals crunch—and boost the shares of companies like Sasol and Sibanye-Stillwater.

From Barron's