Found Metals Process Development Center Opens in Cambridge to Scale Domestic Gallium Refining
MIT spinout Found Industries has announced the official opening of its new headquarters and Found Metals Process Development Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, accelerating the scale up of domestic critical mineral extraction and refining technologies.
News About Found Metals Process Development Center
Found Industries officially opened its new corporate headquarters and Found Metals Process Development Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The facility expands the enterprise capacity to scale laboratory discoveries into industrial scale systems designed to recover strategic critical metals from active industrial streams, residues, and manufacturing byproducts.
The grand opening was attended by public officials and academic leaders including Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, U.S. Department of Energy Associate Deputy Secretary Alex Fitzsimmons, MIT President Emeritus Rafael Reif, and MIT Professor Elsa Olivetti. Led by founding President and CEO Dr. Peter Godart, the company is prioritizing domestic gallium recovery to support defense systems, advanced power electronics, solar tech, data centers, and semiconductor fabrication plants.
The research facility operates alongside the U.S. Department of Energy TRACE Ga program, utilizing Direct Feedstock Extraction to isolate gallium from dilute liquid streams without requiring complex ion exchange preconcentration. The company also maintains a partnership with ARES Strategic Mining Inc. to evaluate critical mineral recovery from Utah Lost Sheep Mine feedstocks, while preserving its Boston location for activated aluminum energy projects.
Significance of Found Metals Process Development Center
The opening of the Found Metals Process Development Center is significant for the United States technology and industrial supply chain because the country currently produces virtually none of its primary consumed gallium domestically. For example, rather than relying on foreign controlled refining channels for semiconductor grade metals, electronics manufacturers can source extracted materials directly from domestic industrial wastewater and scrap streams.
Establishing a process development facility bridges the technical gap between small scale laboratory testing and commercial scale continuous deployment. The facility allows engineers to test representative industrial feedstocks under real world operating conditions, validating output purity and process reliability before hardware is deployed to industrial partner sites.
Furthermore, leveraging existing industrial infrastructure, utilities, and logistics networks avoids the lengthy timelines and regulatory challenges associated with opening new mining sites. Utilizing continuous electrochemical processes enables domestic manufacturers to secure critical raw materials for semiconductors and energy infrastructure using resources already moving through American supply chains.
Next Steps for Found Metals Process Development Center
Following the facility opening, engineering teams at the Found Metals Process Development Center will focus on scaling pilot equipment, optimizing Direct Feedstock Extraction systems, and conducting product qualification runs for commercial partners. Scientists will also expand process development pipelines to target additional critical elements including indium, germanium, and antimony.
Looking ahead, Found Industries plans to advance its pilot project with ARES Strategic Mining Inc. at the Lost Sheep Mine site in Utah while expanding partnerships across U.S. industrial manufacturers. Management will continue coordinating with federal and state agencies, including the Department of Energy and Department of Defense, to deploy commercial scale refining hardware nationwide.
