KoBold launches AI-driven lithium push in DRC

KoBold Metals, the mining firm backed by US billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, has launched what it calls the largest lithium exploration campaign in history across the Democratic Republic of Congo

The company will deploy artificial intelligence and advanced sensors to target one of the world’s richest and least-explored critical minerals regions.

KoBold will explore 13 licences covering more than 3,000 sq. km, with plans to expand to 5,000 sq. km by year-end, focusing on the mineral-rich Manono region, where some of the highest-grade lithium pegmatites globally have been identified, the company said.  

The program includes 30,000 sq. km of airborne surveys, thousands of drill holes and more than 30,000 geochemical samples, backed by over $50 million in funding through early 2027.

“A year ago, KoBold had no employees and no land in the DRC,” CEO Kurt House said in a statement. “Today we are the largest American investor in the country, and we are launching the most ambitious mineral exploration program ever attempted.”

The campaign underscores growing strategic ties between the US and the DRC and highlights the country’s emergence as a key frontier for critical minerals, where vast geological potential remains largely untapped, despite decades of mining activity.