Why Trump Can't Afford to Lose The Rare Earth Race

For years, the West has searched for a technological escape hatch from rare earths. Engineers have developed new motor designs, alternative magnet chemistries, and materials that reduce or even eliminate the need for some critical minerals. Every time China tightens export controls, those efforts receive another burst of attention.

They're worth pursuing. But they don't answer the question manufacturers have to solve today. Production capacity has become the number one scarce asset.

That realization is driving one of the most ambitious industrial…