Breakthroughs in Green Production, Supply Chain Fluctuations, and Material Application Innovations [SMM Survey]

Australian Company Achieves Breakthrough in Green Magnesium Production, Expands International Supply Chain Cooperation

Australia's Latrobe Magnesium recently announced that its demonstration plant has successfully commenced production of magnesium oxide, marking a key milestone in its patented magnesium extraction process and paving the way for commercial-scale production. This production start validated the feasibility of its proprietary technology and began stockpiling for offtake partners. Meanwhile, the company actively expanded international supply chain cooperation: CEO David Paterson last month participated in a critical minerals CEO delegation organized by Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd, discussing supply chain security cooperation with US government, national defense, and investment agencies in Washington, and negotiating financing solutions with distributor Metal Exchange and investment institutions in New York. Additionally, the company hosted a procurement representative from Volkswagen Group for a field trip to the demonstration plant, showcasing its low-carbon production process and discussing application prospects within the global automotive supply chain. These developments highlight the company's strategic position as Australia's first green magnesium producer, promoting diversification and sustainable development of the critical mineral supply chain.

Iceland Aluminum Smelter Accident Impacts Global Magnesium Supply Chain

Century Aluminum Company's smelter in Grundartangi, Iceland, recently suspended one electrolytic cell production line due to an electrical equipment failure, causing the plant's annual capacity to drop sharply from 317,000 mt to 105,700 mt, a production cut of approximately two-thirds. This unexpected incident will significantly impact European magnesium ingot supply—since aluminum electrolytic cells are a key raw material source for producing magnesium metal, the aluminum plant's substantial production cuts will directly constrain the supply of raw material for magnesium ingots. Iceland, as an important aluminum and magnesium production site in Europe, is expected to exacerbate the current tight supply situation in the global magnesium market due to this capacity disruption, further affecting downstream industries such as automotive and aerospace that rely on magnesium alloys. This event again highlights the fragility of the critical metals industry chain, underscoring the urgent need to address production concentration and enhance supply chain resilience.

Breakthrough in New-Type Magnesium-Lithium Alloy Processing Technology Overcomes Lightweight Material Bottleneck

Materials scientist Edwin Eyram Klu's research has opened new pathways for the application of magnesium-lithium alloys in aerospace and EV sectors. Through a multi-pass equal channel angular pressing and rolling composite process, he successfully increased the yield strength of Mg-9Li alloy by 219%, improved tensile strength by 70%, and achieved ultra-fine grain refinement to 0.5-0.7 micrometers. This alloy maintains ultra-light characteristics (density only half that of traditional alloys) while exhibiting an excellent combination of 206 MPa strength and 21% elongation. The breakthrough lies in solving the long-standing issues of insufficient strength and susceptibility to corrosion in magnesium-lithium alloys by precisely controlling recrystallization and dislocation strengthening. Follow-up research on Mg-9Li-1Al in 2023 further validated that this process simultaneously enhances the material's specific strength and corrosion resistance. With continuous optimization of surface protection technology and heat treatment windows, this globally lightest structural metal is approaching the critical point for engineering applications. It is expected to replace aluminum alloys in the future for manufacturing thin-walled structures, drone frames, and power battery casings, providing key technological support for weight reduction and energy efficiency in transportation.

Emdoor Unveils World's Lightest AI Notebook, Magnesium Alloy Body Leads Mobile Computing Innovation

At the recently held 45th Global Resources Mobile Electronics Expo, Emdoor Digital launched the ultra-thin AI notebook EM-3X6-LD14 featuring a high-strength magnesium alloy body, achieving a breakthrough in portability and performance with a weight of 999 grams and a thickness of 16.25 millimeters. The device supports three major hardware platforms—Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm—and, combined with an integrated NPU, can stably release 45W performance while supporting localized AI applications. In terms of connectivity, dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, LPDDR5X memory, and a dual SSD expansion architecture, along with a 70Wh battery providing 12 hours of driving range, fully meet the demanding needs of mobile office and creative work. The simultaneously unveiled EM-959 AI mobile workstation is equipped with an NPU capable of up to 50 TOPS computing power, enabling smooth local operation of a 70 billion-parameter large language model, marking the official extension of high-performance AI computing from the cloud to terminal devices. The smart end-use product portfolio showcased at the exhibition demonstrates Emdoor's full ecosystem layout in the AI-driven hardware field, providing lightweight, high-performance hardware support for digital transformation.