Critical minerals are essential to the UK economy, national security, and clean energy transition. Surging demand for such materials, driven by the UK ambition to become a global leader in digital technologies, will place unprecedented pressure on already vulnerable global supply chains. A (CMIC) presents both the opportunities for innovation-led economic growth and the challenges associated with securing the materials required for data centres, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.

Data centres are now recognised as critical national infrastructure in the UK, with more than 90 new facilities planned by 2030, while, quantum technologies and AI have been identified as strategically important technologies. Meeting increasing demand for such digital services requires a growing range of critical minerals and high-purity materials. The growth of these technologies will increase demand for critical minerals including copper, aluminium, rare earth elements and battery materials (such as lithium and cobalt) used in digital technology components and backup power systems. Quantum technologies also require some critical minerals that are more rarely discussed, including niobium, hafnium, bismuth, high-purity silicon and other raw materials such as helium.

CMIC is hosted by the 51ÁÔÆæ (BGS) and funded by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science & Technology (DBIST). This report highlights the value of data centres, AI and quantum computing to the UK economy and future economic growth and emphasises the importance of critical minerals in their development. The global trade routes that feed the UK with many of the necessary raw materials for cutting-edge technologies are still immature and underdeveloped, relying on exports from a small group of countries. Additionally, many critical minerals are only produced as by-products from the mining and refining of other commodities, such as copper and aluminium, so their production can be affected by the market swings for those major metals. Collectively, these factors can render vital supply chains unresponsive to demand and vulnerable to geopolitical factors.

The report highlights several ways to strengthen resilience, including international partnerships, supply chain diversification and targeted development of domestic capabilities. There are many opportunities for the UK, which should capitalise on its potential to mine, refine, purify and recycle some critical minerals. Nonetheless, international collaboration and strategic partnerships remain essential. In the future, digital technologies will face increasing competition for critical minerals from other sectors that we rely on for our energy, transportation, home and work lives, defence and health care, and we may need to prioritise how our critical mineral supplies are used. The report lead author, BGS Minerals geoscientist Dr Holly Elliott, believes that the need to better understand and forecast the nation mineral supply requirements has never been greater and is central to delivering the country ambitions.

“While some of the materials used in digital technologies have highly concentrated supply chains, there are also opportunities to improve resilience through innovation, international collaboration, diversification of supply and the development of specialist capabilities where the UK already has strengths.

“The UK has already invested in the development of a skilled domestic workforce and created growth zones but, to become a centre of excellence within the digital revolution, we must identify potential bottlenecks and vulnerabilities in the critical mineral supply for the decades to come, and act now.�

Dr Holly Elliott, BGS minerals geoscientist

Many of the materials required for digital technologies, such as lithium, cobalt and graphite, are experiencing significant growth in demand and intensifying competition between key sectors, including low-carbon technologies, aerospace, defence and advanced manufacturing. These are all expected to experience their own growth surges in the near future, while the wider adoption of quantum computing is currently an unknown, but likely to be a significant, factor.

Batteries sit at the heart of many of these technologies, with data centres requiring huge, grid-scale batteries to ensure an uninterruptible energy supply in the event of a disruption to mains power. The energy requirements of these facilities is considerable. Based on the findings of a , a 1 GW data centre running continuously could use as much power as up to 3.2 million UK households over the course of a year. The that the UK will need up to 6 GW of AI-capable data centre capacity by 2030, highlighting the true scale of the demand for battery raw materials.

The UK Government will increasingly face the challenge of prioritising how much of the available critical mineral supply will be directed toward the development of AI technologies and data centres while also nurturing fledgling industries such as quantum computing.

Dr Elliott says diversification will be essential to securing reliable and sustainable supplies of critical minerals.

“Whilst the UK has the potential to develop domestic supplies of certain critical minerals, it is unlikely to achieve self-reliance and cannot become a specialist in all parts of the supply chain.

“Access to global supply chains, international collaboration and strategic partnerships therefore remain vital; the opportunity best lies in collaboration and strategic partnerships to offset the risk posed by geopolitical uncertainty.�

Dr Holly Elliott

The report also highlights opportunities for the UK to build on existing strengths in semiconductor technologies, photonics, cryogenics, quantum technologies and high-purity materials. Alongside these established capabilities, opportunities will emerge to develop domestic recycling and secondary supply chains as demand for digital technologies continues to grow.

In terms of primary supply, various prospective UK projects are likely to become more economically viable with the increase in demand, such as:

• lithium resources in Cornwall
• tungsten in Devon
• graphite in Northern Ireland
• nickel, vanadium and the platinum group metals in Scotland

However, Dr Holly Elliott warns that ambition does need to be balanced against realistic understandings of how these supply chains operate.

“Geologically speaking, the Earth is not short of minerals. Scarcity is typically driven by a combination of factors, such as geopolitical access, the economic viability of extraction, and the technological constraints around our ability to refine and process them.

“History suggests that restricted supply but increasing demand creates market opportunities and that supply chains eventually catch up with demand but, in the case of minerals, this can take decades.�

Dr Holly Elliott

As such, enhanced access to global supply chains, international collaboration and strategic partnerships will be vital in the immediate future, offsetting the risk posed by geopolitical uncertainty. Over the longer term, investment that builds on the UK existing technological strengths and development of regions with domestic prospectivity can further strengthen the UK position as the demand for critical minerals intensifies.

Report recommendations

In summary the report recommendations include:

• Isotopic purification and high-purity materials: the UK can build on its strong expertise in isotopic purification to increase domestic commercial production, supporting global diversification and reducing supply risks
• Expand downstream manufacturing capabilities: broadening established industries (including cryogenics, photonics and semiconductors) from design into manufacturing could reduce the UK reliance on imported components
• Critical minerals and processing capacity: the UK should assess viable opportunities in the domestic critical mineral supply chain, including extraction and value-added processing where potential exists
• Quantum-enabling materials: developing domestic capabilities in non-linear materials and crystals would mitigate trade interventions and strengthen supply resilience
• Recycling and secondary supply: developing recycling and processing hubs for electronic waste components would help to establish a secondary supply of the materials for which the UK has limited domestic extraction potential
• Industrial support and enabling environment: there may be a role for targeted support mechanisms to encourage the development or expansion of domestic facilities for primary production, materials refining, isotopic purification and secondary material recovery
• Data, demand visibility and supply chain mapping: encouraging UK companies to report quantified material requirements for key technologies, such as data centres and batteries, would support improved modelling of future demand under different technology adoption and growth trajectories
• Workforce and skills development: further support for workforce development in emerging sectors such as quantum computing would help address shortages in specialist and technical roles spanning engineering, computer science and physics

The full report, ‘’, is available on the CMIC website.

This research was funded by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology as part of the 2025 to 2026 work programme for CMIC.

The UK Geoenergy Observatories (UKGEOS) team at BGS has released the drilling report and the final 17 borehole data packs from the construction of the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Cheshire.

The UKGEOS project set out to deliver essential new data from the subsurface to build knowledge about clean energy. Opened in 2024, the Cheshire Observatory provides scientists with at-scale test facilities that can be used to optimise and de-risk subsurface energy storage systems and geothermal heat in an aquifer setting.

Together with the three data packs released in 2025, a ground investigation borehole dataset pack released in 2023 and the core scanning dataset released in 2022, the 17 new borehole data packs have been made available on an open-access basis and are key deliverables from the UKGEOS capital project. They provide high-resolution data on the physical properties, geochemistry and interpreted geology of the rocks in which the Cheshire Observatory was built and are a unique resource for scientists working on the geology and hydrogeology of the Sherwood Sandstone Formation, which is an important aquifer and reservoir rock for heat and carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage.

The drilling report is also a valuable resource for future subsurface science and engineering, as it documents novel construction methods, lessons learned, drilling decision trees and how the difficulties of installing complex, closely separated boreholes were overcome.

We are pleased to announce the release of the drilling report alongside the borehole data packs for the construction of the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Cheshire. These will provide a unique resource for scientists working on the geology and hydrogeology of the Sherwood Sandstone Formation, which is well suited for geothermal energy in the UK, ensuring this valuable information can be used for future subsurface science and engineering.

Dr Mike Spence, science and operations lead at BGS for the Cheshire Observatory.

The Cheshire Observatory was delivered through close collaboration between BGS, the UKGEOS external science advisory group, AECOM (the principal contractor for the observatory), the drilling company Marriott and the dedication of over 200 project scientists and engineers. The free of charge on the UKGEOS website.

The Cheshire Observatory is available to the whole of the UK science community for research, innovation and training activities. Research studies funded through any source are welcome, including outside 51ÁÔÆæ and industry-led research. Find out Ìý´Ç°ù contact the UKGEOS team (ukgeosenquiries@bgs.ac.uk).

Natural hydrogen gas is generated through a range of geochemical and biochemical reactions within rock formations. It has recently gained significant attention as a potential clean energy source following discoveries of natural hydrogen accumulations and seeps in multiple parts of the world. Whilst hydrogen already has many real-world applications, including metal treatment, fertiliser production and chemical manufacturing, interest is increasingly being driven by the need for cleaner fuels as it does not produce carbon emissions when it is burned.

There is still much that scientists need to understand about how natural hydrogen systems evolve over time, including the relationships between subsurface rocks and the minerals, fluids and microbes that determine the potential for generation, transport and accumulation at scales required for commercial applications.

To improve our understanding of this natural resource, BGS scientists have recently undertaken research on rock samples from a hydrogen-generating system using the in Harwell, UK. The Diamond Light Source is the UK national synchrotron science facility and is capable of generating very intense light that is 10 billion times brighter than the Sun. Such bright light, mainly in the form of X-rays, enabled BGS scientists and collaborators from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) and the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences to study hydrogen-generating processes down to the atomic scale.

The samples were collected from several areas within an ophiolite-hosted natural hydrogen system in Zambales, Philippines, as part of a project undertaken by PNRI scientists (Aquino et al., 2025). Surface-hydrogen flux measurements in bubbling springs and seeps from this area represent some of the highest natural fluxes reported in the world, pointing to a potentially significant hydrogen resource.

Using the unique capabilities at the Diamond Light Source has been a great opportunity to investigate the behaviour of key elements in hydrogen seep systems at an unprecedented level of detail. This is an important step towards understanding the drivers of natural hydrogen generation in ophiolitic environments, not only in the Philippines but worldwide, helping to identify where similar resources may occur and how they could be evaluated.

Dr Ruth Delina-Agillon, BGS experimental geochemist and principal investigator of the research conducted at the Diamond Light Source.

We anticipate that our new, atomic-scale data will provide a better understanding of the geochemical controls driving the hydrogen-generation process. The datasets are currently being analysed in detail ahead of publication. These findings will be relevant to other, geologically similar systems worldwide, supporting coordinated international efforts to identify and prioritise sites for data-driven exploration.

Acknowledgment

The Diamond Light Source is acknowledged for access to the I20 beamline under proposal 42859 and Dr Shusaku Hayama is thanked for assistance during the experiment.

The Diamond Light Source facility is funded by UK Research and Innovation through the Science and Technology Facilities Council and by the Wellcome Trust.

More information

Find out more about our natural hydrogen research on the BGS website.

Demand for critical minerals is rapidly increasing in response to the global transition to net zero, with UK demand for lithium predicted to quadruple by 2050. To secure future supply, the UK has set ambitious recycling targets for critical minerals.

New analysis from the , hosted by the 51ÁÔÆæ (BGS), provides a detailed assessment of the UK future demand and secondary supply availability for the key technology metals that are required for green energy technologies and electric transportation.

By 2035, the Government aims to meet 20 per cent of annual critical mineral demand through , also known as secondary supply or the circular economy. However, the new research also highlights that, within this timeframe, only a small number of critical minerals used in photovoltaic technologies are expected to be found in sufficient quantities to theoretically reach or exceed this ambition. The prospects improve dramatically, however, when the timescale is extended out to 2050, as increasing availability of end-of-life material is forecast to meet or exceed domestic demand for several critical minerals.

The assessment found that, between 2040 and 2050, ‘secondary’ raw material availability could provide:

• more than 60 per cent of the cumulative demand for battery metals
• more than 85 per cent of the cumulative demand for the rare earth elements (REEs) used in magnets (neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium)
• more than 90 per cent of the cumulative demand for silver and 75 per cent for tin used in photovoltaics (solar panels)

Although secondary supply has the potential to offset primary demand after 2040, the rapid growth of electric vehicles, wind turbines and photovoltaics means that, in the short term, primary supply (that is extracted directly from the ground) will remain essential to meet growth sectors, fill supply gaps and account for unavoidable material losses or non-recovery. This includes continued reliance on imports of lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper and REEs, and highlights the importance of supply chain diversification, responsible sourcing and strategic international partnerships. 

The report highlights that investment, capacity building, development of reverse supply chains and further data supporting the circular economy will be required to support the UK transition toward secure, resilient supplies of critical minerals and technology metals and to realise the long-term supply potential available through recovery and recycling.

This studydemonstratesthat secondary supply of technology metals has the potential to become amajor contributor to UK material security. Our research shows that several elements will approach or exceed anticipated domesticdemandbymid-century.

However, realising this potential will depend on several factors, including clear policy direction on technology metals recovery, investment in recycling and refining infrastructure and the development of integrated reverse supply chains and skilled labour.

Primary supply will remain essential but, withtimelyand coordinated action, the UK can build a more resilient,circularand securecritical materialssystem capable of supporting its2050net zeroambitions.

Dr Evi Petavratzi, principal mineral commodity expert at BGS.

The report ‘’ is available to download from the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre website.

Detailed subsurface information is required to increase the uptake of geothermal energy technologies. Geothermal energy, including ground source heat pumps, can contribute to energy security and to clean energy such as decarbonised heating.

The second version of the includes the addition of nearly 14 000 more data points derived from 1800 sites to inform geothermal assessments. The digital release contains validated intellectual property rights and datasets from BGS-authored papers, new BGS thermal conductivity laboratory measurements and a bottom-hole temperature dataset from the UK Onshore Geophysical Library.

The data release comprises a series of  and an accompanying that can be accessed for use under the Open Government Licence, with the acknowledgement ‘Contains 51ÁÔÆæ materials © 51ÁÔÆæ 2026’. This data adds to the openly available geothermal data, models and information already contained within the and .

The open release of the second digital version of the UK geothermal catalogue further adds to over 90 datasets and more than 60 reports that have been available on the since August 2025. The data informs the feasibility stages of project developments, supporting the growth of the geothermal energy sector. The user guide describes the data sources and the acknowledged limitations with legacy datasets that are included.

Dr Alison Monaghan, head of BGS Geothermal.

In 2025, BGS launched the UK Geothermal Platform, which provides national- to local-scale information on geothermal potential across shallow and deep technology options. The platform draws together diverse information and synthesises it to deliver the information needed by heat policy, heat networks, the national zoning model and planning specialists. Towns, cities and industrial sites can be assessed for the potential to retrofit geothermal technology and new development zones can be quickly assessed for strategic use of geothermal energy from the start of the development or planning cycle.

Critical minerals are central to modern society and the global transition to cleaner energy systems. These minerals include the rare earth elements, which are essential for electric motors and wind turbines, as well as those that underpin battery technologies such as lithium, graphite, cobalt and nickel. As demand grows, countries worldwide are seeking to better understand the distribution, quality and economic potential of their geological resources, particularly in under-explored regions.

Across the African continent, geological survey organisations (GSOs) play vital, national roles in gathering, managing and interpreting geological and mineral data. The availability of such data supports good governance, sustainable development and transparent decision making, so strengthening this capability is essential to enabling countries to fully benefit from their natural resources.

For the past three years, BGS has been working in partnership with the Geological Survey Department of Zambia (GSD) to advance their understanding of the country natural resources. Together, we are making better use of Zambia existing geological data to improve national understanding of key metals and minerals such as copper, graphite, lithium and cobalt. This collaboration is grounded in shared priorities: building national capacity, improving data accessibility and supporting long-term, sustainable development.

How GSD is supporting the Zambian government critical minerals ambitions

A dedicated team of GSD geologists has been working with BGS specialists to strengthen Zambia national capability in critical minerals. This began with the development and publication of the guide, a national reference designed to support government planning and industry engagement. Building on this guide, GSD and BGS are now working on a new, national-scale critical mineral occurrence map. Focusing on Zambia eleven designated critical minerals, the map integrates the country most up-to-date geological information, mineral occurrences, verified deposits and operational mining and processing facilities. Built from high-quality, GIS-ready datasets, updated infrastructure data and insights from recent joint field campaigns, the map represents the most detailed digital geological dataset currently available for national planning and investment promotion.

Both the guide and draft map were formally launched on 25 February 2026 and received strong support from Zambia mineral exploration sector, government ministries and academia, reflecting widespread recognition of the importance of the map and guide to Zambia mineral strategy, helping to build confidence in the sector.

Partnerships for the future

As global demand for critical minerals grows, the role of GSOs and the partnerships between them will only become more important. Such partnerships strengthen national capability by combining technical expertise, modern data practices and long-term capacity building. GSOs and the data they manage provide the authoritative, long-term scientific evidence needed to understand a country resources, support safe and sustainable development and guide informed decision making across government, industry and society.

The 51ÁÔÆæ (BGS) has released a new shallow subsurface geological synthesis of the southern North Sea in the first formal review of this region since the 1990s. A wealth of new subsurface data has been generated through the rapid expansion of offshore wind farm (OWF) development since the last assessment.

In total, the new synthesis draws on data from 22 OWFs and cable landfall sites from recent publications and open data available through The Crown Estate . Bringing these diverse datasets together presented a rare opportunity to enhance our geological understanding of the region, providing a detailed baseline resource to support more efficient and better-informed offshore development projects in the future.

Findings from the updated review have revealed much greater geological complexity within the region than indicated by the previous assessment, which was developed between the 1970s and 1990s on the back of data collected during oil and gas developments. Modern OWF investigations, supported by comprehensive borehole drilling, cone penetration tests and seismic datasets, show that many of the geological formations contain a variety of distinct sedimentary characteristics. This complexity has direct implications for foundation design and ground modelling, including the identification of geo-engineering constraints and geohazards, which is crucial information for a wide range of offshore infrastructure development.

The assessment examined evidence across pre-glacial, glacial, interglacial and post‑glacial periods from 200 million years ago to the present day. Understanding how different sedimentary units were deposited provides vital insight into geological formations that may present specific geo-engineering complications. This includes mixed soils, boulders, glacially compacted sediments or organic-rich layers. Organic units can be problematic for cable installation due to their fibrous nature, presenting considerable challenges to cable routing.

It is not a requirement for UK offshore infrastructure projects to collect samples for dating and biostratigraphy; however, where they are available, absolute dating (radiocarbon and optical stimulated luminescence data) information has also been included within the assessment. Neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands recognise the value of this data, as it can help to better predict age-based sedimentary characteristics and ultimately better inform geotechnical characterisation around a project design.

The report outlines several recommendations to enhance the resource further, including improving fine-scale mapping, ingesting geotechnical datasets for each geological subunit and strengthening international collaboration to harmonise North Sea stratigraphy. The findings presented in the main report can be aligned with results presented in the , which is a data catalogue highlighting the key geological features and associated engineering constraints for OWF development as part of the . Both resources provide complementary datasets and criteria essential for evaluating OWF site suitability.

This work provides:

• an opportunity to advance scientific understanding
• resources to strengthen national collaboration
• supporting baseline evidence for the energy transition, energy security and wider marine planning
  

The release of this report marks an important milestone in compiling geological observations from literature and offshore wind farm development over the past 30 years or so. It brings together a wealth of new offshore geological data that enhances our understanding of the shallow subsurface in the marine environment in the southern North Sea. We hope this dataset will provide strong baseline evidence to support national and international collaboration for efficient offshore development and act as a blueprint for other areas around the UK Continental Shelf.

Nikki Dakin, BGS Senior Marine Geoscientist

We would encourage similar consolidation of geological information across the wider North Sea, Celtic Sea, Irish Sea, The Solent and English Channel, making full use of the substantial dataset holdings within the Marine Data Exchange. There is also significant potential to extend this approach internationally, working with neighbouring countries.

Such data provides a robust evidence base for industry, regulators and researchers, marking an important step toward a fully modernised geological model and improving our understanding of offshore stratigraphy across the UK Continental Shelf.

The report and geological assessment are now available online: .

51ÁÔÆæ would like to acknowledge The Crown Estate as well as wind farm developers for contributing reports and data to The Crown Estate Marine Data Exchange.