Cobalt

A US-backed $753m railway project from Angola to Congo highlights competition between Washington, Africa, a Lusophone builder, and China over critical metals like cobalt. The project is positioned as a strategic move to counter China's influence in the region.

Angola's Lobito railway has received fresh funding as the United States and China compete for control over Africa's cobalt and copper resources. This competition has implications for global supply chains and Latin America.

The DR Congo economy is projected to become Africa's eighth-largest in 2026, surpassing Ghana due to a boom in cobalt and copper production.

Congo's strict new cobalt quotas are limiting cobalt exports, prompting miners to shift focus to copper. This shift is directing copper toward Western buyers amid declining prices.

The Trump administration supported Virtus Minerals in developing cobalt and copper mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marking the first U.S. rare earth minerals acquisition in the country since the Washington Accord. The initiative aims to counter China's dominance in critical minerals and establish a secure supply chain for the U.S. and allies.

Petrobras, Brazil's oil company, has partnered with the state development bank to research critical minerals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earths. The move marks a shift into battery metals and materials essential for wind turbines and electronics.

Brazilian Nickel is seeking an anchor investor for a $1.4bn nickel and cobalt mine in Brazil. The project represents a test of Western efforts to secure battery metals outside of China.

Spotify found Google Cloud's Arm-based Axion processors delivered 250% better performance for its recommendation engine. Major hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft, and Google are adopting Arm-based processors (e.g., Graviton, Cobalt, Axion) for improved price-performance and energy efficiency, with Neoverse architecture enabling custom silicon for cloud and AI workloads.

DR Congo's restrictions on cobalt have caused a shortage, leading Chinese smelters to seek alternatives. The scarcity of this critical battery material is impacting supply chains.

Two telecom tower companies are investing over $200 million in DR Congo's mobile infrastructure, driven by rising data demand and mining sector needs. The country's underdeveloped telecom market, with 110 million people and low mobile penetration, is attracting foreign capital as African internet data consumption is projected to quadruple in five years.

Scientists discovered unexpected quantum complexity in cobalt, revealing topological electronic states that function at room temperature and can be controlled with magnetism. This breakthrough could advance next-generation computing and spin-based devices.

Mining activities in sub-Saharan Africa are causing large-scale deforestation of dense tropical forests, with key energy transition minerals like cobalt driving the environmental impact.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is seeking deals with cobalt producers to address illegal mining issues. Artisanal miners are currently carrying out mining operations near Kolwezi. The move aims to tackle illicit mining activities.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is planning to establish a paramilitary unit for its mines, funded by the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The initiative targets artisanal cobalt and copper mines in Kolwezi, a region critical for mineral extraction.

Channel Seven’s Spotlight program aired a controversial investigation claiming Australia’s shift from fossil fuels to clean energy is morally bankrupt, highlighting exploitative cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The article criticizes the program for ignoring factual accuracy and journalistic standards, portraying the renewable energy transition as harmful to rainforests and reliant on China.