Latest Magnet Industry News: Global Major Economies Strengthen Rare Earth Magnet Supply Chain Strategies, Humanoid Robots Emerge as Key Demand Engine
Views: 2 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-01-06 Origin: Site
According to industry information as of early December 2025, the magnet industry is at the intersection of two core trends: on one hand, the restructuring of the global supply chain is accelerating, driven by policies in multiple countries; on the other hand, emerging applications represented by humanoid robots are driving explosive demand for high-performance rare earth permanent magnet materials (especially NdFeB) at an unprecedented pace .
1. Policy and Strategic Shifts: The Global "Decentralization" Supply Chain Race Enters a New PhaseTo address geopolitical risks and ensure the security of critical raw materials, the world's major economies have recently intensively launched or strengthened their rare earth and magnet industry strategies.
The US Adopts a "Dual-Track Strategy": The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report explicitly stating that the US must adopt a "dual-track strategy," which involves accelerating the construction of domestic rare earth processing and magnet manufacturing capabilities while cooperating with trusted allies to establish global processing centers . The report warns that without swift action to counter China's dominance, US critical technology, industry, and security interests will continue to be at risk . As a concrete action, the US Department of Energy announced on December 1 that it would provide up to $134 million in funding specifically to support projects demonstrating the commercial feasibility of recovering and refining rare earth elements from unconventional sources such as mine tailings and e-waste .
EU Launches "RESourceEU" Plan: The European Commission recently adopted the "RESourceEU" action plan, aiming to accelerate the security of critical raw material supply . The plan will mobilize nearly €3 billion within the next 12 months to support strategic projects that can quickly reduce external dependence and plans to establish a European Critical Raw Materials Centre early next year to coordinate joint procurement and stockpiling .
China Issues First Simplified Export Licenses: As part of fulfilling a recent trade agreement with the United States, China has issued the first batch of simplified rare earth export licenses to three major magnet material manufacturers: JL Mag, Ningbo Yunsheng, and Zhongke Sanhuan . This "general license" will allow suppliers to make multiple shipments to buyers within a specified period without needing approval for each shipment, aiming to provide greater stability and predictability for international buyers .
2. Emerging Demand Driver: Industrialization of Humanoid Robots Ignites New Blue Ocean for Magnet MaterialsSimultaneous with supply chain adjustments, revolutionary breakthroughs in downstream applications are reshaping the demand landscape. A landmark event is the disclosure by Chinese intelligent manufacturing company Lingyi Group that it has completed hardware and complete machine assembly services for over 5,000 humanoid robots and has reached cooperation with more than 20 domestic and foreign companies .
Substantial Demand Per Unit: Humanoid robots have a rigid demand for high-performance NdFeB magnets. Analysis indicates that a single robot requires more than 40 high-performance NdFeB magnet rings, with magnet material costs accounting for about 15%-18% of the total material cost of the machine .
Considerable Market Scale: The mass production by Lingyi Group is expected to directly drive an annual demand increase for rare earth magnet materials exceeding 2,000 tons, equivalent to 7% of global production in 2024 . Additionally, the lightweight trend in robots is simultaneously boosting demand for aluminum, magnesium alloys, and copper . The market expects that the industrialization of humanoid robots has moved from the laboratory to mass production, with the global market size projected to exceed $40 billion by 2026 .
3. Market Outlook and ScaleDriven strongly by electric vehicles, renewable energy, and automation (including robotics), the global magnet market maintains steady growth .
NdFeB Magnets: As the representative of high performance, the global market size is estimated to be 9.33billion∗∗in2025andisexpectedtoreach∗∗9.33billion∗∗in2025andisexpectedtoreach∗∗16.55 billion by 2035, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.9% during the forecast period . Approximately 55% of new electric vehicle platforms and 37% of wind power projects rely on NdFeB magnets .
Overall Permanent Magnet Market: The global permanent magnet market size is projected to be 15.22billion∗∗in2025andcouldgrowto∗∗15.22billion∗∗in2025andcouldgrowto∗∗29.85 billion by 2035, with a compound annual growth rate of 7% . Among them, rare earth magnets (mainly NdFeB and SmCo) account for 58% of production volume and 72% of market value, demonstrating their dominance in high-value sectors .
