3 March 2026
Copper: the electrification metal behind grids, AI and aerospace
Key insights from this briefing
Why is copper critical to electrification and AI infrastructure?
Copper combines high electrical and thermal conductivity with durability and recyclability. It is used throughout grids, motors, wiring, charging systems and the high-current busbars that supply power to data-centre GPUs, making it a foundational material for electrification.
What makes copper useful beyond conventional electrical wiring?
Copper and its alloys also have antimicrobial properties, can be recycled repeatedly without losing performance, and are used in high-temperature aerospace components such as 3D-printed copper-chromium-niobium rocket combustion chambers.
Excerpt from this briefing's Industry Insight
Copper is the electrification metal that often sits behind more fashionable critical-mineral technologies. Its conductivity makes it essential to grids, motors and data-centre power systems, while copper alloys also have antimicrobial properties useful in healthcare and public infrastructure. Advanced copper alloys can be additively manufactured for rocket combustion chambers, and the metal can be recycled repeatedly with little loss of performance. This combination of electrical efficiency, material durability and recyclability makes copper central to both the energy transition and high-performance industrial systems.
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