Aclara forms partnership to build AI "digital twin"

Executive Summary

• Aclara Technologies Inc. (Aclara Resources' U.S. subsidiary) entered a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Argonne National Laboratory to develop an AI-enabled digital twin for its heavy rare-earth separation process.
• The partnership will combine Argonne's SolventX modelling platform and advanced AI/computing capabilities with Aclara's proprietary pilot-scale data to create a high-fidelity digital representation for simulation, optimization, and predictive control.
• The initiative is designed to accelerate industrial ramp-up, improve operational efficiency and recovery rates, and reduce scale-up risk, supporting the transition from pilot validation to commercial deployment in the United States.

Key Details

• Agreement Type: Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)
• Parties: Aclara Technologies Inc. and Argonne National Laboratory (U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory)
• Core Technology: Argonne's SolventX modelling platform, advanced computing, process modelling, and artificial intelligence
• Data Integration: Aclara's proprietary pilot-scale data will be incorporated to build a high-fidelity digital twin of the heavy rare-earth solvent extraction process
• Operational Capabilities: Enables advanced simulation, optimization, and predictive control of separation operations
• Expected Benefits:
• Improve operational efficiency and recovery rates through advanced model-based control
• Accelerate ramp-up timelines by reducing uncertainty during the pilot-to-industrial scale transition
• Increase process resilience to enable rapid adaptation to feed composition and operating condition variations
• Continuous Refinement: The digital twin will be continuously updated using data generated from pilot campaigns, including those at Aclara's Virginia Tech pilot facility
• Project Timeline: Aclara's rare-earth separation pilot plant in partnership with Virginia Tech is expected to be inaugurated in March 2026
• Strategic Context: Central component of Aclara's modular and interoperable digital architecture to optimize its rare-earth value chain and advance U.S.-based industrial deployment of its separation platform

Notable Quotes

• Hugh Broadhurst, Chief Operating Officer, Aclara Resources: "This collaboration with Argonne represents a significant step forward in our strategy to deploy a world-class, digitally enabled rare-earth separation platform in the United States. By combining our proprietary separation process and pilot-scale data with Argonne's world-class capabilities in advanced computing and artificial intelligence, we expect to accelerate industrial ramp-up, improve efficiency and further derisk execution."
• Seth Darling, Chief Science and Technology Officer, Argonne National Laboratory: "This partnership exemplifies how combining the complementary strengths of industry, academia and national laboratories can accelerate the development and deployment of advanced technologies. It also reflects Argonne's role in translating foundational research and unique user facilities into tangible capabilities that support U.S. industrial competitiveness and strengthen domestic supply chains for critical materials."