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Neo and TalTech expand AI partnership to advance rare-earth manufacturing innovation
Canada’ s Neo Performance Materials has expanded its artificial intelligence strategy through a multi-year partnership with Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, aimed at accelerating advanced manufacturing, product development and rare-earth processing innovation.
The collaboration builds on Neo’ s three decades of expertise in rare-earth materials, magnetics and industrial manufacturing. The company said the initiative will combine proprietary operational data, machine learning models and internal data science capabilities to improve manufacturing performance and strengthen supply-chain resilience.
Rahim Suleman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Neo Performance Materials, said the company’ s historical operating data and specialist expertise provide a competitive advantage in applying AI across permanent magnet manufacturing and rareearth separation.
Tallinn University of Technology, also known as TalTech, will contribute expertise from its Centre for Intelligent Systems. The university focuses on industrial AI applications including real-time process optimisation and advanced industrial data analysis.
The partnership will also include joint educational programmes, internships and student engagement initiatives designed to support future talent development in advanced manufacturing, materials science and industrial artificial intelligence technologies.
Neo plans to use AI and machine learning applications to optimise production processes, improve yields and reduce the consumption of energy, water and chemical reagents. The company also expects the partnership to improve material consistency, strengthen magnetic performance and support the development of new magnet grades.
Both organisations said the research programme will create feedback loops delivering measurable operational improvements across production environments while helping European manufacturers develop sustainable and resilient rare-earth supply chains supporting electric vehicles, renewable energy systems and defence technologies.
Terra Innovatum and Sant’ Anna advance AI and robotics for SOLO nuclear reactor platform
Terra Innovatum Global has partnered with Italy’ s Scuola Universitaria Superiore Sant’ Anna of Pisa to accelerate artificial intelligence and autonomous operations for its SOLO micro-modular nuclear reactor platform.
The collaboration will focus on predictive and condition-based maintenance, robotic inspection systems and advanced structural modelling designed to improve reactor performance, reliability and lifecycle management. Terra said the partnership will also support development of scalable data-driven operating models for future SOLO reactor fleets.
Sant’ Anna is internationally recognised for its robotics and AI expertise, including contributions to the wider medical robotics sector associated with technologies such as the da Vinci Surgical System. Under the agreement, researchers will explore robotic applications for non-destructive testing, anomaly detection and decommissioning operations to help automate maintenance and end-of-life activities.
Alessandro Petruzzi, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Terra Innovatum, said the agreement strengthens the company’ s efforts to advance SOLO across operability, performance and long-term asset management.
Nicola Vitiello, Rector and Associate Professor at Sant’ Anna’ s BioRobotics Institute, said the collaboration would apply robotics and AI expertise to next-generation energy systems and support the future deployment of micro-reactor technology.
Professor Marco Frey, responsible for the Terra-Sant’ Anna Project at Sant’ Anna, said the project could improve reliability, reduce operational costs and strengthen long-term performance across advanced nuclear energy infrastructure.
Terra Innovatum said the initiative reflects growing interest in combining AI, automation and robotics with emerging nuclear technologies as developers seek safer, more efficient and scalable energy platforms. The SOLO reactor programme is designed to support flexible deployment scenarios, remote operations and streamlined maintenance across distributed energy environments. www. intelligentcio. com
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