Robert Friedland's company I-Pulse claims its pulsed power technology can reduce grinding energy by up to 80% and boost metal recovery by about 5% by shattering ore from the inside. The process uses short electrical bursts to fracture ore along mineral boundaries, potentially replacing conventional SAG and ball mills. The tech is still unproven at commercial scale, with no independent results yet, but Ivanhoe Mines is backing it and has sent ore from Kamoa-Kakula for testing. If successful, the technology could cut one of mining's largest operating costs and lower the carbon footprint of ore processing. It also ties into Friedland's copper supply gap warning, as better recovery could help extract more metal from lower-grade ore. The same pulsed power platform is being tested for geothermal drilling, though I-Pulse has not disclosed costs or timelines for industrial deployment.
