It can take more than 15 years to permit and build a new mine in the United States - yet nearly every modern technology we rely on, from smartphones to fighter jets to AI data centers, depends on a steady supply of critical minerals.
In this episode, Erik Torenberg is joined in the studio by Turner Caldwell, founder of Mariana Minerals, along with American Dynamism general partner Erin Price-Wright and partner Ryan McEntush.
Turner spent nearly a decade at Tesla, working his way upstream from factory design to battery materials and mining. Now, he’s building a new kind of mining and refining company - vertically integrated and software-first- designed to meet the demands of our industrial future.
We get into why the industry is so broken, what it actually takes to turn rocks into usable materials, and how the U.S. can rebuild its capacity to mine, refine, and manufacture the things that matter most.
Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction to Critical Minerals
00:45 The Importance of Mining in Modern Technology
00:58 Meet Turner Caldwell and Marianna Minerals
03:02 The Mining and Refining Process
05:10 Challenges in the Mining Industry
07:11 Turner's Journey from Tesla to Marianna
15:31 The Role of AI and ML in Mining
22:00 Geopolitical and Talent Pool Dynamics
23:46 Challenges in Junior Mining Exploration
25:30 Mariana's Product and Approach
25:47 Leveraging Technology in Mining and Construction
28:29 Optimizing Refining Processes with AI
37:31 The Importance of Critical Minerals
41:18 Permitting and Regulatory Challenges
46:08 Future Strategies and International Expansion
46:53 Conclusion and Future Outlook
Resources:
Find Turner on X :https://x.com/tbc415
Find Erin on X: https://x.com/espricewright
Find Ryan on X: https://x.com/rmcentush
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