Argonne National Laboratory, Aclara Partner on AI-Powered Rare Earth Separation

Heavy rare earths are essential raw materials for the high-performance magnets used in electric vehicles, wind power and defense. However, the United States has insufficient separation capacity and remains heavily dependent on overseas supply chains. The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory is partnering with Aclara Resources to use AI to reduce the cost and risk of scaling solvent extraction to commercial production.

On January 15, 2026, Aclara's U.S. subsidiary, Aclara Technologies, signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Argonne. The partners will combine the SolventX modeling platform with experimental data to create a digital twin for heavy rare earth separation, enabling simulation, optimization and predictive control. They did not disclose the value of the partnership, while model development is expected to proceed from the second through the fourth quarter of 2026.