Silicon Valley’s Latest Unicorn Focuses on Mining AI

Riding high on the wave of the clean energy revolution, Silicon Valley’s latest unicorn isn’t a tech startup or a biotech company. It’s a mining startup called KoBold Metals.

This Berkeley, California-based company is spearheading the search for metals like copper, lithium, and cobalt, critical elements for electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies. And they’re doing it with a bit of Silicon Valley magic – artificial intelligence. 

In a recent funding round, KoBold secured an impressive $200 million, launching the company’s valuation to over $1 billion. It’s not just the money that’s impressive, but the roster of backers, including Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a firm that invests on behalf of tech heavyweights like Jeff Bezos and Jack Ma.

These funds will be pumped into developing copper reserves the company recently acquired in Zambia. 

The fact that a mining company is now a unicorn is a clear sign that the energy transition is reshaping entire industries. This is not just a story about a mining startup’s success, but about the intersections of technology, mining, and the green energy transition.