Australian company Metallium announced on Tuesday that its American subsidiary, Flash Metals USA, had signed a 10-year agreement with Indium Corporation for the supply of critical metals recovered during its recycling operations in the United States.
According to the agreement, Flash Metals USA will provide gallium, germanium, copper, tin, gold, and indium to the specialized materials refiner in the United States, with prices fixed on a formula-based schedule, as stated by Metallium.
The agreement includes automatic renewal periods of five years, unless either party withdraws, said the critical minerals explorer.
Metallium mentioned that the agreement would have no immediate financial impact but establishes a commercial framework for future orders from Indium.
Separate discussions are underway for the supply of raw materials, it added.
Gallium, germanium, and indium are classified as critical minerals and are used in semiconductor applications and advanced electronic technologies.
The agreement highlights the increasing strategic value of essential critical minerals in chip manufacturing and defense, as the United States seeks to reduce its reliance on China, which dominates processing in many of these markets.
Metallium’s shares rose by 7.1% to 0.60 Australian dollars, marking their largest increase in a week, outperforming the 0.5% decline in the broader S&P/ASX 200 index.
