UK-India partnership to develop mineral supply chain observatory

CPI, the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) at the University of Cambridge, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay are partnering to create a mineral supply chain observatory which monitors the life cycle of minerals such as lithium, copper, nickel and cobalt from mines to manufacturing.

The observatory will collect data that identifies risks, opportunities for recycling, and areas of shortages for the materials, which will be available to both the UK and India. It also aims to offer recommendations to strengthen global supply chains, test new technologies including personalised artificial intelligence, and share knowledge about extraction and refining.

Dr Mukesh Kumar, Head of IfM’s Industrial Resilience Group, outlined the goals of the collaboration: “By building the largest data infrastructure for critical minerals, we aim to identify supply chain vulnerabilities, enhance capabilities, and promote ESG and sustainability.

“We are proud to partner with Google Cloud, which provides cloud and AI technology support, and Prof. Ramaswamy Murugavel of IIT Bombay, whose expertise in materials chemistry will help us drive innovation and resilience in critical mineral supply chains.”

Professor Ramaswamy Murugavel, IIT Bombay, added: “Together, we aim to build a more resilient, transparent, and sustainable supply chain that is essential for the green energy transition."

The UK-India partnership involves a range of collaborators, including Google Cloud, University of Birmingham’s Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials (BCSECM), Materials Processing Institute, HSSMI, and the Bhubaneswar City Knowledge Innovation Cluster Foundation (BCKIC).

CPI have also announced that they will be launching an Innovation Sprint program as part of the collaboration, which will research and manufacture sustainable technologies to extract and purify critical materials.

The International Energy Agency reported that demand for minerals is growing, with lithium demand rising by 30 per cent and nickel, cobalt, and graphite all seeing increases ranging from 8 per cent to 15 per cent. Clean energy technology such as wind turbines, lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells are dependent on access to these materials, and have been driving factors in the growth of this demand.

Professor Tim Minshall, Head of IfM, commented: “Given the global challenges related to critical minerals affecting all nations, this programme is extremely important and timely. This observatory will play a key role in ensuring that technological innovation can be achieved in a way that is resilient, secure and sustainable.”

The collaboration comes after the launch of the UK-India Technology Security Initiative, which was consolidated after UK Foreign Secretary, MP David Lammy’s, visit to India. The initiative provides support for collaborative technologies including telecoms, critical minerals, AI, and health/bio technology.

Dr Arun Harish, Chief Strategy Officer at CPI, added: “Partnerships such as these are going to provide the blueprint for how we solve some of the biggest industrial challenges. By working closely with colleagues in India, we can find opportunities that benefit both nations’ energy security and crucially provide some much-needed answers on how we can move sustainably away from fossil fuels.”