Microsoft is mining hard drives for rare earths. Why it matters

Main Points:

– To reduce waste, tech giants are extracting rare earth elements and precious metals from old computer hardware and recycled electronics.
– Apple and Google are part of this initiative to recover precious metals and rare earth elements.
– In 2024, almost 91% of decommissioned servers and data center hardware were recycled or reused by the company.
– Microsoft is enhancing electronic waste collection by recovering rare earth elements and precious metals from hard drives without acid.
– The initiative involves collaboration with Western Digital, Critical Materials Recycling, and PedalPoint Recycling to increase U.S. rare earth elements production.
– The project has extracted rare earth elements like neodymium, praseodymium, and dysprosium from outdated drives, along with gold, copper, aluminum, and steel.
– Microsoft aims to achieve a zero waste goal by 2030.
– The demand for rare earth metals is rising at 9% annually, with the market expected to reach $16.3 billion by 2030.
– Microsoft’s strategy includes recycling or reusing 91% of servers and hardware in 2024 and operating Circular Centers to handle obsolete technology.