A US Miner Is Using Machine Learning to Hunt Cobalt and Lithium in Congo

KoBold Metals, the US exploration company backed by investors including Bill Gates, is applying machine learning to geological data in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africanews reports. The company says the approach reduces the time and cost of locating deposits of copper, cobalt and lithium. It holds 14 exploration permits and plans to invest more than $50 million by 2027, with work including the Manono lithium deposit, one of the largest known accumulations of spodumene.

The strategic purpose is stated openly. KoBold's objective is to reduce Chinese dominance in critical minerals, in a country that produces more cobalt than any other and ranks second in copper, and where Chinese companies are reported to control between 70% and 80% of copper and cobalt output. The company signed its Congo exploration agreement in July 2025.

Exploration is the long end of the supply chain. A discovery made now produces metal in the 2030s, which means the effort is a response to a shortage that Western governments expect rather than one they currently face. It also depends on Congolese permitting, security in the east of the country and transport routes that remain constrained.

Applying computation to exploration lowers the cost of searching. It does not shorten the time from a drill result to a refinery, and refining remains the stage of the chain where Chinese capacity is most concentrated.