Sprott: Fourth Industrial Revolution Fuels Global Competition for Critical Minerals
The rise of artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and other tools are remarkable. What’s more, by coming together all at once, they create a sort of fourth industrial revolution. As with previous revolutions, it can mean big changes.
The biggest change will likely be in the demand for the resources needed to fuel the revolution. That means the elements and metals critical to building AI components. And that’s on top of the energy and people needed to bring it together.
The growth of this new revolution in technology will use many of the same materials as in the past. That’s good for commodities as a whole. It’s particularly good for metals such as copper and lithium, which are key for electric cars.
It’s also critical for uranium. New nuclear reactor designs are getting approved. They’re safer and burn more cleanly than older designs. That will help provide the power needed to fuel AI data centers and other tools.
Plus, the rise of green technologies can make local grids more resilient. And less dependent on global supply chains.
But ultimately, it will come down to a massive boom in commodities to fuel this future. And commodity stocks will stand to benefit. That includes global major giants today, as well as smaller players that can bring new finds online in the years ahead.