Found Industries Expands MIT-Powered Technology to Strengthen America's Critical Metal Supply Chains

Founded by MIT alumnus Peter Godart, Found Industries is evolving its technology portfolio to address two critical challenges: energy storage and supply chain security. The company, originally established as Found Energy, has expanded its operations to include a new division, Found Metals, which aims to extract critical metals like gallium from industrial feedstocks. This expansion comes at a time when geopolitical tensions have exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains for materials essential to defense, semiconductor, and energy sectors.

The company's original technology focuses on transforming aluminum scrap into high-density fuel through a catalyzed reaction with water. During his PhD research at MIT, Godart developed a process for coating aluminum with a gallium-containing alloy to enable rapid reaction with water. This breakthrough allows aluminum, which is approximately 40 times more energy-dense than lithium-ion batteries, to be used as a fuel source.

The technology operates through a catalyzed aluminum water reactor that treats aluminum with specific catalysts and water, producing a steam-hydrogen gas mixture referred to as the "power stream." This mixture is used to cogenerate industrial heat and electricity, with the reaction byproduct being hydrated aluminum oxide that can be sold to various industries or recycled back into aluminum.

"We found a catalyst that, when mixed with aluminum scraps, enabled aluminum to react with water very rapidly and at orders of magnitude higher power density than what had been possible before," Godart explains. "That meant you could use aluminum as a fuel and get megawatt-scale power from compact reactor systems."

Recognizing the supply chain vulnerabilities in obtaining gallium for their fuel catalysts, Godart developed an electrochemical extraction method for recovering gallium directly from Bayer liquor and other industrial feedstocks. Traditional extraction methods rely on foreign-controlled organic chemicals or resins, but Found's continuous electrochemical process can recover gallium even at low concentrations.

This technology has particular significance given that China produces 99% of the world's primary gallium supply and recently began restricting exports of this critical material. The electrochemical extraction process can be adapted to recover other critical metals including indium and germanium, positioning Found as a potential domestic supplier for these essential materials.

"Gallium is the world's most critical metal, as it's 99 percent controlled by China," Godart states. "When you produce 99 percent of something, you also produce 99 percent of the tools required to extract it. We couldn't get our hands on some of those tools, so we were forced to come up with a new technology. Now we believe we can deploy this at scale to become one the first major Western suppliers of these metals."

The aluminum fuel technology has immediate applications in industrial settings with abundant aluminum scrap. The company is already operating a 100-kilowatt-class demonstration system in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and has received orders for several megawatts from large public companies. Potential markets include aluminum refineries that consume hundreds of megawatts of continuous thermal power, as well as other industrial operations requiring reliable, high-density energy sources.

For the metals division, applications span multiple sectors:

• Defense: Gallium is essential for advanced electronics and defense systems
• Semiconductors: Critical for producing high-performance electronic components
• Energy: Used in photovoltaic cells and other energy technologies
• Aerospace: Essential for advanced materials and systems

Found Industries is preparing for industrial pilot deployments of its aluminum fuel technology in the coming year. The company has moved from its humble beginnings in Godart's basement to a 20,000 square-foot facility in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

In April 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation selected Found as part of a $5.4 million program to recover gallium from domestic feedstocks. The company plans to begin extracting gallium and other critical metals by the end of 2027.

Despite the promising technology, several challenges remain:

• Scaling the electrochemical extraction process to industrial levels
• Competing with established, albeit geopolitically concentrated, supply chains
• Ensuring the economic viability of domestic production compared to lower-cost foreign sources
• Developing recycling infrastructure for the hydrated aluminum oxide byproduct

Found Industries represents a convergence of academic research and industrial application, addressing both energy storage and supply chain security challenges. By developing technologies that utilize existing industrial infrastructure and materials, the company is creating solutions that could strengthen America's industrial capabilities while reducing dependence on foreign-controlled resources. As geopolitical tensions continue to impact global supply chains, domestic production capabilities for critical materials like gallium may become increasingly important for national security and technological leadership.

The company's dual focus on energy storage and metal extraction creates a synergistic relationship where each division supports the other's success. By controlling their supply of critical metals, Found can ensure the long-term viability of their aluminum fuel technology while simultaneously contributing to a more secure domestic supply chain for essential materials.