Industry: Metals & Mining

Premium content Icon Premium content

Catching up to China on critical minerals

The U.S. government is spending real money on critical minerals right now. On August 7, 2026, the Department of Energy launched a $100 million program to train more mining engineers. It’s one of several moves happening at the same time, alongside price guarantees, tariffs, and new sourcing rules. None of it changes the basic picture: […]

Article Icon Article

Engineered pumps are riding four industrial megatrends

The engineered pump industry is seeing growing demand from AI infrastructure, LNG expansion, critical minerals development, and industrial modernization. At the same time, aftermarket services and digital monitoring are becoming larger contributors to industry profit pools. These trends are changing industry growth drivers and profit pools (see Exhibit 1). Exhibit 1.  Growth drivers in the […]

Article Icon Article

Navigating critical minerals supply bottlenecks

Demand for critical minerals has been accelerating rapidly over the past few years, driven by escalating growth in electric vehicles, renewable energy, defense, and advanced technologies. However, while demand continues to expand, the supply chain remains heavily concentrated in China, which dominates up to 90% of mining, refining, and processing. This imbalance has amplified geopolitical […]

ADI Forum Icon ADI Forum

Oil & gas, energy transition, and chemicals in 2026

At the 2026 ADI Forum, Uday Turaga, CEO of ADI, provided a cross-segment outlook on the energy and chemical value chains. He highlighted the firm’s focus on the strategic interfaces between upstream production, global gas markets, and power generation, emphasizing how infrastructure and geopolitical shifts are reshaping global commodity flows. Key themes included a shift […]

Article Icon Article

Beyond green hydrogen: Electrolyzers as grid stabilizers

The green hydrogen dream is currently facing a difficult reality: electrolysers are expensive to build and operate, and many projects are struggling to secure the high utilization required for a bankable business case, often due to a lack of immediate, large-scale hydrogen demand. These plants have high upfront capital costs, and if they sit idle, the financial […]

Article Icon Article

Produced water in the oilfield: From waste to a lithium goldmine?

On June 27, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in Cactus Water Services, LLC v. COG Operating, LLC. It declared that produced water is oil & gas waste and therefore belongs to the hydrocarbon lessee i.e. oil & gas operator typically. This landmark decision clarifies that the right to produce oil & gas inherently includes […]

Article Icon Article

Batteries of the cars go round and round!

Electric vehicles (EVs) demand continues to grow, albeit at a slightly slower pace, as ADI has reported previously.  Policy support, falling battery pack and cell prices, rising consumer interest, and innovation by automotive OEMs are all driving this growth resulting in concerns on whether there is enough supply of various critical minerals including  lithium, nickel, and other critical minerals. […]

Article Icon Article

DLE technology: Breaking new ground in lithium production

The demand for lithium is on the rise due to its role as a crucial component in electric vehicle (EV) batteries and energy storage systems.  Major oil and gas companies such as Equinor and ExxonMobil are seizing opportunities in this growing market. ExxonMobil is constructing a lithium production facility in Arkansas and has recently secured […]

Article Icon Article

AI goes underground: The future of mining

Recent developments in AI and machine learning (ML) technologies are changing daily operations in the mining industry. With the ability to analyze large amounts of data and provide recommendations in real-time, AI is driving change in the mining industry by improving exploration, reducing waste and improving efficiency with automation, minimizing environmental impacts, and improving the […]

Article Icon Article

Green cement technology advances

In a previous blog post, ADI discussed the highly carbon-intensive cement production process and highlighted that the clinker production process is where the majority of CO2 emissions occur. Clinker production emissions primarily result from the calcination process, followed by the use of fossil fuels to meet the energy demand for calcination. Consequently, these areas have […]

Premium content Icon Premium content

One way or another – Part 1: EVs will drive chemicals

Although electric vehicle (EV) sales are slowing, they have surpassed expectations in the past few years. While an average EV still remains more expensive than an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle today, prices have fallen significantly in recent years. As shown in exhibit 1, the decline in lithium-ion battery pack prices since 2015 is particularly […]