Wild move just dropped from the EU Industry Commissioner:

They were heading to Brazil last month to negotiate a rare earth mining deal. Three days out? Got a call saying forget it — the Americans had already swooped in, dropped cash on the table, and locked up the entire output through 2030.

Rare earths aren't just about phones and EVs. They're critical for chip manufacturing, data centers, and mining hardware. When major powers start locking down supply chains like this, it ripples through every tech-dependent sector — including crypto infrastructure costs and hardware availability. Resource wars are getting real, and the implications go way beyond traditional industries.