Humanoid Robots May Need 1.6 Million Tonnes of Copper a Year by 2040, And OTCQB: NREDF Suddenly Feels More Relevant

The copper-AI story just got a lot bigger than data centers. Most people already understand the copper demand coming from: • EVs • power grids • AI infrastructure • renewable energy • defense systems But humanoid robotics might become another major copper demand wave entirely. A newer robotics copper thesis now estimates humanoid robots alone could require roughly: • 380k-420k tonnes of copper annually by 2030 • potentially 1.6M tonnes annually by 2040 That would equal roughly 6% of current global copper consumption. And honestly the logic makes sense. Modern humanoid robots are extremely copper intensive because copper is used in: • electric motors • joint systems • flexible circuits • power transmission • sensor arrays • thermal management systems • high-efficiency wiring Some reports suggest copper usage per humanoid robot could rise from roughly: • 8.5 kg per robot in 2025 to: • 15 kg per robot by 2030 Tesla Optimus reportedly uses high-density copper windings inside joint-drive motors, while Xiaomi CyberOne reportedly uses copper-graphene thermal-management systems. In other words: copper is becoming both an energy carrier and a cooling material for advanced robotics. That matters because robotics adds another demand layer on top of: • AI data centers • electrification • EV demand • transformer shortages • military infrastructure • grid expansion Which brings me to OTCQB: NREDF. NovaRed Mining is not a robotics company and it is not a copper producer yet. It is still an early-stage copper-gold explorer. But if robotics becomes a meaningful copper-demand driver over the next 10-15 years, future copper supply becomes increasingly valuable. Wilmac itself already looks more technically advanced than it did earlier this year: • copper-in-soil support up to 1,125 ppm Cu • North Lamont highs up to 379 ppm Cu • western cluster averaging roughly 209 ppm copper • historical 3DIP/AMT interpretation • two interpreted intrusive centres • upward pipe-like porphyry features The project also covers: • around 16,078 hectares • roughly 160 square kilometers • around 39.7k acres • roughly 30k football fields • about 2.7x Manhattan And importantly: Wilmac sits roughly 10 km west of Hudbay Minerals Inc.’s Copper Mountain Mine inside BC’s Quesnel porphyry belt. North Lamont is currently considered a moderate-priority drill target and could potentially move higher after additional IP/AMT survey work. A few other copper exploration names also fit the broader “future copper supply” theme: • Kodiak Copper - TSXV: KDK • Cascadia Minerals - TSXV: CAM / OTCQB: CAMNF Still obviously speculative across the sector. But if copper demand keeps expanding from AI into robotics, power infrastructure, defense and electrification simultaneously, junior copper exploration names in stable jurisdictions probably become a lot more relevant over time. NFA