In a world obsessed with artificial intelligence, data centers, energy transition, and electric mobility, there is a silent protagonist without which none of this would be possible: copper.
Yes, that reddish, discreet, and ubiquitous metal is the backbone of our technological infrastructure. From the cables that power servers to the electric motors and transformers that transport energy, copper is everywhere. But there's a big question that very few people ask: where will all the copper we'll need in the coming years come from?
According to McKinsey, by 2031 the world will need approximately 37 million tons of copper annually. That figure is colossal considering that current global production is around 25 million.
And demand isn't just coming from the growth of consumer electronics, but from the massive electrification of the economy: electric vehicles, smart grids, data centers, and renewable energy.
To put this in context: a large modern data center can contain up to 2,000 tons of copper. Every kilometer of cabling, every server, and every transformer requires enormous amounts of this metal.
The paradox is obvious: we want a greener, more digital future, but that future requires an immense amount of a resource that isn't infinite.
Today, copper is obtained primarily from open-pit mines. The process involves crushing the ore, heating the rock to extreme temperatures, or treating it with acids to separate the metal. This method, although effective, is highly polluting and consumes large amounts of energy and water.
Furthermore, copper-rich deposits are becoming increasingly scarce, and the average concentration of the ore is decreasing. In other words, each ton of copper requires processing more rock, expending more energy, and generating more waste.
Mining, as we know it, is uncertain whether it will be able to meet future demand without an unacceptable environmental impact.
Here comes an innovation that seems like something out of a science fiction novel. The US-based company Endolith is developing a revolutionary method to extract copper using microbes. Yes, using microbes.
Its proposal involves using bacteria selected with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), capable of "eating" the impurities in the ore and releasing the copper more cleanly and efficiently.
The idea is brilliant: let biology do the heavy lifting currently done by furnaces and chemicals.
This process—known as bioextraction or bioleaching—is not entirely new, but Endolith takes it to the next level by using AI to adapt the microbes to the exact type of rock.
Furthermore, this process can recover copper from materials with low metal content, those that traditional mining considers "waste." This opens up an immense possibility: harnessing the mountains of mining waste accumulated over decades.
If Endolith's technology delivers on its promise, we could witness a green revolution in mining. The process requires less energy, generates less toxic waste, and allows for the reuse of discarded materials.
If its industrial scalability is confirmed, it could completely change the economics of copper—and with it, that of lithium, nickel, and other metals critical to the energy transition.
For now, no concrete figures have been released on the amount of copper they can produce or the costs per ton, but the interest it is generating in the mining and technology sectors is enormous.
The most fascinating aspect is how biotechnology and AI combine to solve a problem as physical as mining.
We are seeing how digital tools, born in the world of software, are now helping to reinvent heavy industries, making them cleaner and more efficient.
Perhaps, in a few years, the copper that powers your cell phone, your electric car, or the servers of an AI will come not from a traditional mine, but from a biological process controlled by algorithms.
Human creativity, once again, demonstrates that innovation is not only found in silicon or chips, but also in bacteria.
Video of the CEO of Endolith:
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