MINING 2.0: SCALING DEEP-SEA CRITICAL MINERAL SUPPLY RESPONSIBLY THROUGH SELECTIVE COLLECTION SYSTEMS Oliver Gunasekara CEO & Co-Founder, Impossible Metals, Inc. Mining 2.0 presents a selective, autonomous deep sea nodule collection system designed to limit environmental impact while accelerating critical mineral supply. Replacing large, disruptive infrastructure with scalable robotic collection units enables faster, more responsible delivery of essential minerals. ABSTRACT Global demand for critical minerals such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper is growing rapidly due to electrification, renewable energy deployment, the expansion of digital infrastructure, and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Landbased mining increasingly faces greater hurdles due to declining ore grades, heightened environmental pressures, longer permitting processes, and declining social acceptance1. This paper presents Mining 2.0, a framework for responsibly scaling the critical mineral supply through the selective collection of deep sea polymetallic nodules. The framework focuses on addressing supply gaps, minimizing environmental impact, expediting project timelines, and enhancing oversight. The paper outlines the challenges of critical mineral supply, explains how selective collection systems perform both technically and environmentally, and examines their scalability — all while situating the approach within broader social, regulatory, and governance contexts. The Mining 2.0 Framework uses targeted collection and smart design to create a more resilient critical mineral supply chain. KEYWORDS critical mineral supply, deep sea polymetallic nodules, selective collection systems, Mining 2.0 framework, autonomous underwater robots, AI-driven nodule identification, environmental disturbance mitigation, sediment plume control, scalable modular mining systems, responsible deep sea mining governance 1. INTRODUCTION: THE CRITICAL MINERAL SUPPLY CHALLENGE The global energy transition, along with rapid growth in digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence, is increasing demand for critical minerals. Metals such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper are essential to technologies that include electric vehicles, large-
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