Nasdaq-listed miner USA Rare Earth, quantum computing company Pasqal, as well as AI specialist Raven Systems have announced a strategic partnership to develop next-generation separation technology for the rare earth value chain.

Using quantum machine learning, the project aims to identify new separation molecules that bind more effectively to rare earths than existing alternatives, enabling smaller, lower-cost, less energy-intensive processing facilities.

The collaboration brings together US and French expertise in two strategically important sectors - critical minerals and quantum computing. Together, the companies aim to explore technologies that could help support a more secure, efficient and competitive Western rare earth supply chain.

The partnership brings together Riven’s self-driving minerals separation laboratory and Pasqal’s quantum computing power with USA Rare Earth’s rare earth processing expertise.

Under the planned project, Riven will conduct thousands of automated experiments and generate the training data needed to build machine learning models of extractant selectivity for rare earth elements.

Pasqal’s Neutral Atom quantum processing unit would then benchmark quantum machine learning models against classical computing-based models (each trained on data from the self-driving lab) to support USA Rare Earth in optimising extractant selection.

"The key challenge the rare earth industry outside Asia faces is to separate the mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC) produced in upstream operations into individual, separated oxides. The Chinese dominate this capability, especially for vital heavy rare earths such as dysprosium, terbium and yttrium.

"Our goal is to accelerate the path to efficient, competitive and sustainable solutions by changing how the rare earth industry discovers the chemistry it runs on, replacing years of trial-and-error,” says USA Rare Earth upstream senior VP Alex Moyes.

He adds that this strategic partnership will institute an innovative discovery pipeline where new extractant molecules are identified and tested virtually, powered by a quantum machine learning model trained on real chemical data from an autonomous lab.

Rapid discovery of an extractant built and optimised for USA Rare Earth's flowsheets could improve its capital and operating efficiency by reducing stage count, equipment needs and raw material consumption, while lowering the carbon footprint and environmental impact of its facilities.

"Breakthroughs like these are what could help make a Western rare earth value chain possible and accelerate our journey to being competitive on the world stage," Moyes states.

Pasqal and Riven will tailor their work to USA Rare Earth’s feedstocks, including from the Round Top mine in Sierra Blanca, Texas, as well as third-party MREC and recycled cuttings (known as swarf) from the magnet manufacturing process. Targeting these key feedstocks means the experimental work can potentially impact all aspects of USA Rare Earth’s materials processing work.

"This partnership brings together three companies working at the forefront of technologies that are increasingly important to economic growth, industrial competitiveness and national resilience.

"Rare earth materials are essential and improving how they are processed has implications far beyond a single industry. By combining Pasqal's quantum computing capabilities with USA Rare Earth's materials expertise and Riven's advanced automation platform, we have an opportunity to accelerate innovation while demonstrating how French and American companies can work together to strengthen critical supply chains," notes Pasqal CEO Wasiq Bokhari.

USA Rare Earth, Pasqal, and Riven believe this initial machine learning project could create opportunities for a deeper, extended collaboration.

Over time, the companies envision a first-of-a-kind, end-to-end extractant discovery process: a quantum machine learning model identifies high-potential extractants, those extractants are tested in Riven’s self-driving lab, and top candidates are validated in USA Rare Earth’s research and development facility in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, before being integrated in USA Rare Earth’s flowsheets.

“AI and autonomous labs are the next frontier in critical mineral processing. We applaud USA Rare Earth’s proactive adoption of these technologies, which forge a path to significant improvements over legacy chemistry. This is exactly how the West can leverage its lead in advanced compute technologies to reindustrialise faster," concludes Riven co-founder and chief technology officer Dr Orion Archer Cohen.