A snaphot of Complex CrM Supply Networks

Critical Minerals (CrM) are defined as key materials that are present in a diverse number of technological devices and are prone to shortages. CrM supply networks are very complex, stretching across tens of thousands of companies, from commodity production or extraction, through to consumption, and in some cases re-use. 
 

Critical Minerals are embedded in large scale, complex networks that cut across multiple industries and end-users, from EV batteries to medical devices. Often, companies are unaware of where the CrM they depend on comes from and what risks they are exposed to. The UK Government’s strategy on critical minerals acknowledges that supply is vulnerable and will be outstripped by demand in the medium term if sufficient intervention is not taken. 

The Supply Chain AI Lab is undertaking a number of different research projects to imrove CrM traceability so that we can help inject resilience to  potential disruptions in these complex supply chains. 

One of our exemplar current projects is NICE - Network Insight Collaboration Environment, where our lab is leading the innovation and development of the Critical Minerals Collaboration Environment Platform. Read more about NICE here. 

Researchers: Sara Almahri, Liming Xu

Funders: Innovate UK, ATRC, Alan Turing Institute

Collaborators: Digital Catapult, Fetch.ai