DERA study on ‘Raw Materials for Future Technologies’

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, the German Mineral Resources Agency (DERA), part of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), presented the study Raw Materials for Future Technologies. The study, which is produced every five years by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI and the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM, examines the raw material requirements of future technologies.

Based on a range of economic and policy scenarios, the study analyzes the current and projected raw material demand of 34 technologies until 2045.

Electric mobility, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence are key pillars of the transformation and, in some cases, have a significant impact on the demand for mineral resources.

The study’s findings clearly show that demand for raw materials required by future technologies will continue to grow substantially. For some materials, demand in 2045 could even exceed today’s global production by a considerable margin.

The latest edition of the study is available here: DERA – Rohstoffe für Zukunftstechnologien 2026