Apple is joining the Trump administration in investing in the operator of the nation’s only operating rare earths mine, aiming to ease China’s control of the flow of materials and global supply chains.
The tech giant and iPhone maker is committing $500 million to help MP Materials build a recycling facility at its Mountain Pass mine in eastern California’s Mojave Desert — the only operating rare earths mine in the nation — where used electronics and scrap will be reprocessed for use in Apple products.
The announcement is part of Apple’s broader vow to spend more than $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years and arrives mere days after the Pentagon took a 15 percent stake in the Las Vegas-based company’s mine, becoming its largest shareholder.
“Rare earth materials are essential for making advanced technology, and this partnership will help strengthen the supply of these vital materials here in the United States,” Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said in a statement.
