The public, in its usual way, has crowded into only what it can see – ChatGPT, Nvidia (NVDA), and the shimmering surface of artificial intelligence. But do so at your own financial peril… 

The real treasure lies buried under layers of code and silicon, right in plain sight. It’s not in new apps or algorithms. It’s in the ground beneath our feet.

It is the one thing no AI system can run without: metal. Not just any metal, mind you. We’re talking about rare and exotic minerals – the kind that power batteries, cool data centers, and drive electric motors in AI robots. 

Lithium. Cobalt. Neodymium. Terbium. Dysprosium.

These are the quiet kings of the AI world.

And they are in short supply.

Few realize that AI empires are built on rare and exotic minerals – and without these “power metals,” the entire AI revolution would grind to a halt.

The Critical Metals Powering the AI Revolution

From self-driving cars to ChatGPT, every AI innovation ultimately runs on physical infrastructure – chips, batteries, motors, data centers – and all of it requires minerals. 

Data centers (the brains of AI) don’t just need electricity; they need massive amounts of materials. High-performance servers depend on copper wiring, silicon, gallium, and even rare earth elements for cooling systems and electric motors. 

The backup power systems that keep AI running 24/7? They’re lithium-ion batteries, built from lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite. 

Even the sleek AI robots and autonomous vehicles of the future rely on neodymium magnets in their electric motors – without which they would be weak or overheat.

In fact, neodymium-iron-boron magnets (with a sprinkle of dysprosium or terbium for heat resistance) are what give robotic joints and EV drivetrains their muscle. Elon Musk recently warned that a shortage of these rare earth magnets could delay Tesla’s humanoid robots, since China’s export halt on heavy rare earth metals has cut off supply. 

It was a wake-up call: AI isn’t just about code and silicon – it’s about a coalition of code and metal. Without reliable access to these power metals, even world-class AI projects like Optimus can stall. (Musk noted that each Optimus robot has multiple small motors that each require high-grade magnets, and a supply crunch could slow production.)

The financial press loves to tout AI software companies, but the truth is that many of the most profitable opportunities lie in this small resource niche supporting the AI buildout. And “small” is no exaggeration – this niche makes up less than 2% of the stock market’s total value. Yet without it, modern AI would come to a standstill. 

That disconnect spells opportunity.

And July 22 could be the day this hidden sector bursts into the spotlight…

U.S. Policy Could Spark a Critical Metals Surge by July 22

What’s so special about that date? It’s when a key federal report on AI infrastructure is due, stemming from an AI executive order signed earlier this year. 

President Trump – keen to win the AI race against China – issued an order to boost America’s AI capacity, and it explicitly puts critical minerals in focus. The order set a July 22 deadline for an “AI Action Plan” to make the U.S. the world capital of AI. Rumor has it this plan will come with major announcements – not about tech giants, but about shoring up the raw materials and energy infrastructure that AI needs.

Think about that. We have a convergence of factors here: surging AI demand, strain on supply chains, and now the U.S. government stepping in. 

President Trump already declared a national emergency to remove barriers on domestic critical mineral mining and refining. And according to Reuters, the administration is even considering offering federal land for new data centers and energy projects to support AI growth. 

This is about national security as much as economics – leaders know that without a stable supply of lithium, cobalt, rare earths, etc., America’s AI ambitions could be at the mercy of foreign powers. (Currently, China produces the entire world’s supply of some heavy rare earths and 90% of the specialized magnets made from them, a dominance that U.S. policymakers are keen to counter.)

All this sets the stage for July 22. If the federal AI Action Plan – or any associated announcement – includes concrete support for AI infrastructure and supply chains, we could see a stampede into these under-the-radar stocks. 

Why Rare Earth Metals Suppliers Could Deliver Monster Returns

Remember: this niche is tiny. When big money starts chasing a small pool of stocks, prices can surge in a heartbeat. Wall Street might suddenly wake up to find that the “boring” mining play or material stock it ignored is actually a linchpin of the AI economy – and is now getting government funding, permits, contracts, you name it.

Louis Navellier, one of the Street’s legendary stock pickers (and my colleague here at InvestorPlace), believes this catalyst could spark what he calls a “second wave” of the AI boom. Unlike the first wave – which sent Big Tech soaring – this one could elevate critical resource stocks that most investors haven’t even heard of. The last time we saw a frenzy like this, the gains were the stuff of legend.

A decade ago, when China cut off rare earth exports, a few tiny rare-earth miners saw their stock prices explode overnight. One U.S. company, for instance, surged 1,200% in a single year amid the panic. 

During the EV battery metals rush of the 2010s, select lithium and cobalt juniors delivered multi-thousand-percent returns as demand forecasts went vertical. In fact, when a similar “critical minerals” boom last hit, investors had a chance at 3,768%, 4,894%, even 5,059% gains in some of the top plays. 

We’re talking about tiny stocks that jumped from mere pennies to tens of dollars. That kind of 10X… 50X… even 100X explosion is only possible when a stock starts very small – and then gets caught in a perfect storm of surging demand and scarce supply.

Still, those previous booms were driven by narrower trends (like hybrid cars or smartphone batteries). 

What’s coming now is potentially much bigger. 

And crucially – because they’ve been in the shadows for so long – many of these resource companies are still trading at rock-bottom valuations: often just a few dollars per share.

Missed Nvidia? This Niche Boom Could Be Your Second Chance

If you feel like you missed out on the early AI winners… 

If you watched NVDA or TSLA mint millionaires and thought “that could have been me”… 

This is your second chance. 

Opportunities like this, where a massive tech trend meets a supply squeeze, don’t come around often. And when they do, the biggest profits often go to those who move before the herd realizes what’s happening. We’re talking about the chance to turn a modest investment into a six-figure windfall.

Louis Navellier is so convinced about the July 22 catalyst that he’s holding a special briefing tonight to reveal the full story. I’m in full agreement with him on the setup here. During the event, Louis will unveil five urgent stock picks in this critical minerals arena – his top “pocket change” plays for the AI supply boom. (These are the kinds of little-known names that could potentially replicate Nvidia’s early trajectory, in only a fraction of the time.) He’ll even give away one stock name and ticker you can act on immediately, just for tuning in.

If you’re ready to ride AI’s second wave, be sure to join Louis Navellier tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern for a high-stakes strategy briefing.

Click here to RSVP now… before July 22 turns this niche into the hottest trade of the decade.

Wall Street might be sleeping on these “power metal” plays, but we certainly aren’t. 

And come July 22, I suspect neither will anyone else.