AI Needs Power. The Pentagon Needs Missiles. Niobium Has a Role in Both. Meet NiobiumX (NIOXF)

Key takeaways

• Niobium (chemical symbol Nb) is a critical mineral used in high-strength steel, jet engines, rocket thrusters, hypersonic missiles and superconducting computer chips.
• The United States imports all of its niobium and last mined it in 1959, according to the US Geological Survey.
• Brazil mines about 93% of the world’s niobium, and one Brazilian company, CBMM, controls roughly 80% of global supply. China owns 15% of CBMM.
• North America has one producing niobium mine, Niobec in Saint-Honoré, Quebec.
• NiobiumX Mining Inc. (OTCQB: NIOXF) explores for niobium in Quebec. Its Shipshaw Property lies about 2 km from Niobec. Proximity to Niobec is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the Shipshaw Property. See “Adjacent Properties” under Disclaimers below.
• NIOXF and AI. NiobiumX’s link to AI is the metal itself: niobium is used in superconducting circuits developed by imec and Snowcap Compute, and in Fermilab’s quantum research with IBM and NVIDIA.

Look at where the biggest money in America is going in 2026, and you land in two places.

AI. Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta are guiding to $720 billion to $745 billion of capital spending this year. (Yield Theory) Morgan Stanley now calls quantum computing a $100 billion market. (CNBC)

Defense. The White House has asked for $1.5 trillion for national defense in FY2027, which CSIS calls the highest level of funding in a single fiscal year since World War II. (CSIS) Lockheed Martin is tripling PAC-3 interceptor output (The Defense Watch), and America has been at war with Iran since February.

Those two industries now set the pace for the American economy and for American security.

Underneath both sits niobium, a metal most investors have never looked at. America imports every tonne it uses. Most of the world’s supply comes out of Brazil, and China has bought itself a seat at the table.

A silent crisis is unfolding, and very few people are pricing it.

NiobiumX Mining Inc., a Quebec niobium explorer, holds ground beside the only producing niobium mine in North America. Here is why AI companies and defense contractors should care.

What Is Niobium Used For? One Metal, Two Industries

Niobium (chemical symbol Nb, atomic number 41) is a grey, ductile metal with a melting point of about 2,477 °C. Most niobium ends up as ferroniobium in high-strength steel for pipelines, cars and bridges. Its fastest-growing strategic uses are in defense and AI.

Defense and AI run on niobium. It is the critical mineral behind America’s weapons and the next generation of AI computing, used in the jet engines, rocket motors and missiles of the US military and in the superconducting circuits being developed to cut AI’s power and heat. The US produces none of it: according to the US Geological Survey, America has not mined niobium since 1959 and imports all of it. (USGS)

Why AI needs niobium

The people spending all that money keep saying the same thing: the limit now is electricity. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella says he may have “a bunch of chips sitting in inventory that I can’t plug in” (Tom’s Hardware, November 2025). The IEA expects data centers to use about 950 TWh by 2030, slightly more than all of Japan uses today. (IEA) Microsoft is even restarting Three Mile Island. (ANS)

So where does the power come from?

On September 7, imec, the Belgium-based research institute behind chip technology at TSMC, Samsung and Intel, offered a different answer: need less of it. It unveiled what it calls world-first superconducting circuits built on niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN), made on the same 300 mm wafers every major chip fab runs, and estimates superconducting chips could deliver 100 times the energy efficiency of today’s best. (EE Journal)

The reason is physics. Niobium is a superconductor: at temperatures below about 9.2 kelvin (about minus 264 °C), the highest superconducting transition temperature of any element, it carries current with zero resistance, so the chip barely makes heat. Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger already sits on the board of Snowcap Compute, a startup building AI processors on the same compound. (BNN Bloomberg)

Why defense needs niobium

Inconel 718, the workhorse jet-engine superalloy, is about 5% niobium. (Fort Wayne Metals) C-103, a niobium alloy made of roughly 89% niobium with hafnium and titanium (GS Alloy), flies in rocket thrusters and nozzles, and CSIS calls niobium indispensable for hypersonic vehicles. (CSIS) And the US is burning through missiles: up to two-thirds of some interceptor stocks have been fired at Iran, and replacing them will take at least five years. (CRS)

The two worlds already meet. Fermilab’s niobium-based quantum research center counts IBM, NVIDIA and Lockheed Martin among its partners. (Fermilab) Same element, two jobs. It survives the heat of a hypersonic missile, and it takes the heat out of AI computing.

Where Does the US Get Its Niobium? Every Tonne Is Imported

The United States imports all of its niobium, mostly from Brazil and Canada, and last mined it at home in 1959. (USGS)

Brazil mines about 93% of the world’s niobium, and a single Brazilian company, CBMM, controls roughly 80% of global supply. (CSIS) Think of it this way: that is a bigger share of the metal behind America’s missiles and its next generation of chips than any OPEC member has ever held of the world’s oil.

China saw this coming years ago. It bought 15% of CBMM in 2011, bought Anglo American’s Brazilian niobium and phosphate businesses in 2016, and now takes 49% of Brazil’s ferroniobium exports. (USGS) Owner, shareholder, biggest customer.

And it is moving up the chain. In August 2026, Chinese investors including Hillhouse’s GL Ventures and Lenovo Capital backed a Chinese maker of thin-film lithium niobate chips. (Dealroom) The mine, the metal, and now the chip.

Beijing has already shown what it does with that kind of leverage. In June 2026 it barred purchases from 46 companies tied to Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Atomics and General Dynamics. (Al Jazeera)

How Is Washington Securing Critical Minerals Like Niobium?

Washington knows exactly how exposed it is. In 2024 the Pentagon used the Defense Production Act for niobium and said the US “can no longer afford to be entirely reliant on overseas sources” for it. (Department of Defense) Here is what has followed.

Read that table again. Washington is stockpiling, waiving tariffs and signing for niobium from a mine that is still on the drawing board.

What the list still lacks is an American niobium mine.

What Is NiobiumX (NIOXF)? The Ground Next to North America’s Only Niobium Mine

NiobiumX Mining Inc. is a mineral exploration company whose flagship asset is the Shipshaw Property in Quebec, about 2 km from the Niobec mine.

There is one producing niobium mine in North America. Niobec, in Saint-Honoré, Quebec, has been running since 1976. It makes Canada the world’s number two producer, and it supplied roughly 3 in 10 of America’s ferroniobium and niobium metal imports from 2021 to 2024. (USGS)

In 2015 a group led by former Barrick Gold CEO Aaron Regent bought it for US$530 million. That was the price of a mine in production, and NiobiumX is still exploring. The transaction provides context for the value attributed to an established niobium-producing operation in the district.

NiobiumX holds ground beside the only producing niobium mine in North America. Its Shipshaw Property is 48 claims, about 2,686 hectares, with its nearest claim boundary about 2 km from Niobec. (NI 43-101)

Why that ground matters:

• Picked by the state. Quebec’s government geologists studied the region’s carbonatites and chose five for detailed work. Shipshaw made the list, alongside the complex that hosts Niobec. (Géologie Québec, BM 2024-02)
• The same kind of rock. Of the five, Shipshaw is the only one made of the magnesio-carbonatite that carries Saint-Honoré’s niobium.
• Every hole hit. A previous operator drilled 23 holes around the edges of Shipshaw’s magnetic low. All 23 went into carbonatite. The center is still waiting for its first hole. See “Historical Drilling” under Disclaimers below.

That center is the target. NiobiumX’s first step is an airborne survey of the whole property using magnetics and radiometrics, the same two methods that found Niobec from the air in 1967.

Proximity to Niobec is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the Shipshaw Property. See “Adjacent Properties” under Disclaimers below.

Is NIOXF an AI Stock? Where NiobiumX Fits in the AI Supply Chain

NIOXF sits at the raw-material end of the AI supply chain. NiobiumX Mining is an exploration company, and its connection to AI is the metal it explores for: niobium, the base of superconducting computing.

Investors usually think about the AI supply chain in layers. Hyperscalers buy the computing power, chipmakers build the processors, and below them sit the companies that supply power, cooling and raw materials. Niobium sits at the raw-material layer of one specific branch of AI hardware, superconducting computing.

The AI supply chain, from spenders to the mine

Read from top to bottom, the table shows why some investors look past the obvious AI stocks. If superconducting chips move from the lab into data centers, demand for high-purity niobium would grow with them. imec’s efficiency figures are estimates, and superconducting AI chips are still in research and early development.

For investors screening for AI infrastructure stocks or quantum computing stocks, NIOXF is a raw-material idea rather than a technology bet, and an early-stage, higher-risk one.

Which Niobium Stocks Can Investors Buy? Early, and It Shows

Investors who want niobium have almost nowhere to go. The world’s dominant producer, CBMM, is private. So is Niobec. Only a handful of listed companies offer direct exposure to niobium projects, among them NioCorp Developments, WA1 Resources and NiobiumX. The few prices the market has put on this metal show how it values a niobium story as it matures.

Niobium companies and what the market has paid for them

Every other name on that list is further down the road. WA1 made a discovery. NioCorp has a mine in development. Niobec and CBMM are producing. NIOXF is at the start. It holds ground beside the only producing niobium mine in North America, and a magnetic core that is still waiting for a drill. See “Precedent Transactions and Peer Comparisons” under Disclaimers below.

That is what early looks like, and it is why the distance between NIOXF and the rest of that list is worth watching.

Early also means risk. NiobiumX is an exploration company, the center of its target is still to be drilled, and only a small share of exploration properties become mines. Read the technical report and the company’s filings before making any decision.

In Summary

• AI and defense are where America’s biggest money is going: $720 billion or more of Big Tech capital spending this year, and a $1.5 trillion defense request.
• Both run on niobium. It keeps jet engines and hypersonic missiles from melting, and imec just used it to build chips it estimates could be 100 times more energy efficient.
• America imports every tonne of niobium it uses. Brazil mines 93%, and China is an owner, a shareholder, the biggest customer and now a backer of niobium-based chips.
• Washington is stockpiling, waiving tariffs and signing for future supply.
• North America has one producing niobium mine. NIOXF holds the ground beside it, with a center still to be drilled.
• NIOXF gives investors a raw-material link to superconducting AI and quantum chips.

Wall Street spent 2026 asking two questions. Where will AI’s power come from, and how fast can America rebuild its arsenal? One metal could play an important role in both: niobium. Niobium is used in defense applications and is being explored for next-generation AI computing, America produces none of it, and NIOXF sits next door to the only mine North America has.

Frequently Asked Questions About Niobium and NIOXF

What is niobium used for?

Most niobium is used as ferroniobium to make high-strength steel. It is also used in superalloys such as Inconel 718 for jet engines, in the C-103 alloy for rocket thrusters and hypersonic vehicles, and in superconducting magnets and circuits, including chips designed for AI computing.

Does the United States produce niobium?

No. According to the US Geological Survey, the United States has not mined niobium since 1959 and imports all of the roughly 9,900 tonnes it uses each year.

Who controls the world’s niobium supply?

Brazil mines about 93% of the world’s niobium, and the Brazilian company CBMM controls roughly 80% of global supply. China has owned 15% of CBMM since 2011 and buys about 49% of Brazil’s ferroniobium exports.

Why is niobium important for AI?

Niobium becomes a superconductor at about 9.2 kelvin, the highest temperature of any element, so circuits made with it carry current with almost no heat loss. In September 2026 imec unveiled superconducting circuits built on niobium titanium nitride and estimated such chips could be 100 times more energy efficient than today’s best.

Why is niobium important for national defense?

Niobium is used in jet-engine superalloys such as Inconel 718 and in the C-103 alloy used in rocket thrusters, and CSIS calls it indispensable for hypersonic vehicles. In 2024 the Pentagon used the Defense Production Act for niobium.

What are the main niobium stocks?

Listed companies with niobium projects include NioCorp Developments (Nasdaq NB), which is developing a niobium mine in Nebraska, WA1 Resources (ASX WA1) in Western Australia, and NiobiumX Mining in Quebec. The two largest producers, CBMM and Niobec, are private.

What is NIOXF?

NIOXF is the US OTCQB ticker of NiobiumX Mining Inc., an exploration company whose Shipshaw Property in Quebec lies about 2 km from Niobec, North America’s only producing niobium mine. The company explores for niobium, a metal used in superconducting AI chips and US defense alloys.

Is NIOXF an AI stock?

NIOXF is a raw-material link to AI rather than a technology company. NiobiumX Mining explores for niobium, which imec uses in superconducting circuits and Snowcap Compute uses in AI processors under development.

Which AI and tech companies work with niobium?

imec has built superconducting circuits on niobium titanium nitride, and Snowcap Compute, whose board includes former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, is building AI processors on the same compound. Fermilab’s niobium-based quantum research center counts IBM, NVIDIA and Lockheed Martin among its partners.

How can investors get exposure to niobium for AI?

The two largest producers, CBMM and Niobec, are private. Listed companies with niobium projects include NioCorp Developments (Nasdaq NB), WA1 Resources (ASX WA1) and NiobiumX Mining, ranging from a mine in development to early exploration. Exploration-stage companies carry a high risk of loss.

Do the reading. Start with the NiobiumX investor website, the NiobiumX investor deck and the company’s latest news.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this article has been reviewed and approved by Bertrand Brassard, M.Sc., P.Geo., an independent consultant and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Disclaimers

• Adjacent Properties: The Niobec mine is owned and operated by a third party, and NiobiumX Mining holds no interest in it. References in this communication to the Niobec mine, including its location, geology, discovery history, production, expansion plans and transaction value, are provided for context only and are based on publicly available information that the Company has not independently verified. The proximity of NiobiumX Mining’s Shipshaw Property to the Niobec mine, and the presence of similar rock types or geophysical features, are not necessarily indicative of similar geology, mineralization, grade, tonnage or economic viability on the Shipshaw Property. Historical production, mineral resource, mineral reserve or other data relating to the Niobec mine, as well as the value attributed to Niobec in any prior transaction, should not be relied upon as a guide to the potential or value of the Shipshaw Property or NiobiumX Mining, and there is no assurance that NiobiumX Mining will obtain similar results. The Shipshaw Property has no current mineral resource or mineral reserve estimate.

• Precedent Transactions and Peer Comparisons: References to other niobium companies and projects, including their market capitalizations, historical transaction values and changes in valuation, are provided for general context and illustrative purposes only. These companies and projects are at different stages of exploration, development or production and may differ materially from NiobiumX Mining Inc. and the Shipshaw Property in terms of mineral resources and reserves, geology, grade, infrastructure, economics and other relevant factors. In particular, NiobiumX Mining is an early-stage exploration company, and the Shipshaw Property has no defined mineral resources or reserves, whereas certain referenced companies have established mineral resources, advanced development projects or producing mines. The historical acquisition price of the Niobec mine, the implied valuation of CBMM and the market valuations or historical share price performance of other niobium companies are not necessarily indicative of the value or potential value of NiobiumX Mining or the Shipshaw Property. These comparisons should not be interpreted as suggesting that NiobiumX Mining will achieve similar exploration, development, production or valuation outcomes, or experience comparable increases in its market capitalization or share price.

• Industry and Exploration Risks: Mineral exploration is speculative and subject to significant geological, technical, environmental, permitting, financial and operational risks, and few exploration properties become producing mines. References to artificial intelligence, superconducting circuits, lithium niobate technologies, defence and aerospace applications, and related industry developments are provided for general industry context only. Emerging technologies remain subject to technical and commercial uncertainties, including cooling requirements, system integration and economic viability, and research-stage performance estimates may not be achieved in commercial applications. Demand for niobium in established defence and aerospace applications is also subject to market conditions, government procurement policies and other factors. Such references do not imply that the Company has developed or supplies materials for these technologies or applications, or has any partnerships, supply agreements or endorsements involving the referenced companies, organizations or individuals. The Company has not established that the Shipshaw Property contains economically recoverable niobium mineralization or could economically supply any of these applications.

• Technical Report: All scientific and technical information relating to the Shipshaw Property contained in this communication is derived from the technical report titled Technical (N.I. 43-101) Report on the Shipshaw Property Saguenay Region Quebec, Canada, prepared by Bertrand Brassard, M.Sc., P.Geo., with an effective date of February 17, 2026, and filed on SEDAR+.

• Historical Drilling: Historical drilling on the Shipshaw Property referred to in this communication was carried out by a previous operator and has not been independently verified by NiobiumX Mining or a qualified person. Such historical results may not be accurate or representative, do not indicate the presence, grade or extent of niobium mineralization, and should not be relied upon as an indication of future exploration results.

• Paid Advertisement and Conflict of Interest. This communication constitutes paid advertising disseminated on behalf of NiobiumX Mining and is neither investment advice nor a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell securities. Insider Monkey (the “Publisher“) has been engaged by Connect 4 Marketing Ltd. to provide ongoing investor awareness and promotional services relating to NiobiumX Mining. In connection with this engagement, the Publisher has received or is entitled to receive compensation consisting of US$800 in cash from Connect 4 Marketing Ltd. This compensation creates a material conflict of interest, and readers should consider this article to be promotional in nature and potentially biased in favour of the Company. The Publisher and its principals, affiliates and employees may, from time to time, hold securities of NiobiumX Mining, and may buy or sell such securities at any time, including before, on or after the date of this communication, without notice to readers. Any such holdings or transactions constitute a further conflict of interest and could affect the market price of those securities. The Publisher is not a registered investment adviser or dealer, and no securities regulator or exchange has reviewed or approved this communication. Investing in exploration-stage companies is speculative and involves a high degree of risk, including the risk of losing an entire investment. Readers should conduct their own due diligence, review the Company’s filings on SEDAR+, and consult a qualified financial adviser before making any investment decision.

• Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This communication contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements, often identified by words such as “will”, “may”, “could”, “expects”, “plans”, “potential” and similar expressions, include statements regarding NiobiumX Mining’s planned exploration of the Shipshaw Property, including the proposed airborne magnetic and radiometric survey and any future drilling, and the results thereof; the potential for niobium mineralization on the Shipshaw Property; future demand for and supply of niobium, including from the defense, aerospace, superconducting computing, quantum computing and artificial intelligence sectors; the development and commercialization of superconducting chips and other niobium-based technologies, and the energy efficiency estimates attributed to them; government policies, funding, stockpiling, procurement and trade measures relating to critical minerals; and the potential value of the Shipshaw Property or NiobiumX Mining.

Forward-looking information is based on assumptions and estimates considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including assumptions regarding the availability of financing, personnel and equipment; the timing and results of planned exploration; the receipt of required permits and approvals; the accuracy of geological interpretations; niobium prices and demand; the continuation of current government policies relating to critical minerals; and market conditions. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration; the early stage of exploration on the Shipshaw Property, which has no mineral resource or mineral reserve estimate and the center of whose target has not been drilled; the risk that exploration results will not identify economic niobium mineralization; the risk that superconducting chips or other niobium-based technologies will not be commercialized or adopted at scale, or will not perform as estimated; changes in government policy, funding or trade measures; competition from existing and future niobium producers and projects; niobium price and capital market volatility, including the limited liquidity of securities quoted on the OTCQB; and financing, operational, environmental, permitting and regulatory risks.

There can be no assurance that exploration will be carried out as planned, that it will result in the discovery of niobium mineralization or the delineation of a mineral resource or mineral reserve on the Shipshaw Property, that demand for niobium will grow as anticipated, or that NiobiumX Mining will achieve any particular valuation or become the subject of any strategic transaction. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing risks and assumptions are not exhaustive. For additional information concerning risks and uncertainties relating to NiobiumX Mining, readers should refer to the Company’s continuous disclosure filings available under its profile on SEDAR+. The forward-looking information contained herein is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Neither the Company nor the publisher of this communication undertakes any obligation to update such information except as required by applicable securities laws.