Critical Materials Innovation Hub partners with Amazon to accelerate material circularity & supply chain resilience

The Critical Materials Innovation Hub (CMI), an initiative led by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Ames National Laboratory, has entered into a new collaboration with online giant Amazon to help advance solutions that drive material circularity, especially the recovery and recycling of key materials such as battery-grade graphite.

Through the new partnership, Amazon will leverage its artificial intelligence capabilities and supply chain scale with the expertise of DOE’s Ames National Laboratory and CMI Hub to further reduce waste, enhance local supply chains, and create new avenues for the recovery of valuable materials.

“At scale, the recovery of critical minerals from end-of-life technologies and textile waste has the potential to transform our domestic critical materials supply chains,” said Audrey Robertson, assistant secretary of Energy (EERE), who leads DOE's Office of Critical Materials and Energy Innovation, in a statement. “This pioneering work, made possible by an exciting new partnership with Amazon, supports the Trump Administration’s efforts to reduce our reliance on foreign imports and strengthen our national security.”

The new initiative sees CMI researchers collaborating with Amazon teams to explore various production methods for battery-grade graphite from post-consumer textiles, such as unwanted clothing, in line with the DOE's Genesis Mission goal of recovering valuable materials from waste streams.

"This is an excellent match for Ames National Laboratory's deep expertise in materials science," said Karl Mueller, Ames Laboratory Director. "For decades, Ames Lab has led the nation in metals refining, purification, and critical materials research—and applying that strength to real-world challenges."

In addition, CMI will also work closely with Amazon Web Services (AWS) teams to assess the technical and financial viability of extracting critical minerals, including gallium, from decommissioned IT equipment. AWS will apply its AI and supply chain capabilities to CMI's mineral recovery expertise and partner ecosystem. The announcement comes not long after Amazon announced it plans to invest close to 200 billion US dollars this year alone in AI, chips, robotics, and satellites as it cut a total of 30,000 office roles over the last 6 months, citing the transformation driven by AI.

"This collaboration is a natural extension of the expertise that CMI Hub was created to deliver," said Tom Lograsso, CMI Hub Director. "CMI's mission is to move breakthrough materials technologies from the laboratory into real-world applications on timelines that meet industry's needs. Working with Amazon gives us the opportunity to apply our capabilities at scale—combining CMI's materials science expertise with Amazon's AI to turn innovations into practical solutions that strengthen the nation's critical materials supply chains."

"We are excited to bring the full depth and breadth of Amazon AI — including Amazon Nova — and our science capabilities to this collaboration,” added Kommy Weldemariam, chief scientist for sustainability and AI at Amazon. “This is one example of how Amazon is helping build a more sustainable and resilient domestic supply chain.”

The new collaboration announcement comes as the Trump administration's energy policies shift away from renewables and towards fossil fuels, while supporting the development of domestic supply chains for critical materials. For example, President Trump's day-one Executive Order called for federal backing of critical mineral projects. By August 2025, the DOE had committed nearly 1 billion US dollars to the cause, over half directed at battery material processing, manufacturing, and recycling.