Capability 1.2.1.3

Refinement & Processing

Definition

Converting raw ores into high-purity materials (metals, oxides, rare-earth compounds) that can actually be used in accelerators and data centre construction.

Examples

Domestic refineries and smelters producing high-grade materials required for accelerators of construction of data centres, such as Lynas Rare Earths processing in Western Australia and Malaysia.

Indicators

Number of active extraction projects
Refinement throughput (tonnes/year)

National AI Plan

PLAN COMMITMENT

No commitment

See comment at 1.2.1.1 (Natural Resources). Not withstanding the recommendation to maintain and monitor, no national coordination of this capability by government in the plan represents a strategic missed opportunity to build agency and leverage, given national emerging maturity and its global scarcity.

Stocktake

From minerals to materials: an assessment of Australia's critical minerals mid-stream processing capabilities. Temminghoff and Delaval. CSIRO. 26 August 2024. https://www.csiro.au/en/work-with-us/services/consultancy-strategic-advice-services/CSIRO-futures/Mineral-Resources/Minerals-to-materials
Australian Critical Minerals R&D Hub - Projects. ANSTO. Accessed April 2026. https://www.ansto.gov.au/criticalmineralshub#content-projects

Is the Stocktake missing evidence?

Share additional information for potential future Assessments