# Ames Laboratory Uses AI to Discover Rare-Earth-Free Magnets

> Researchers at Ames National Laboratory are using AI to tackle one of the quieter chokepoints in modern manufacturing: the rare-earth elements packed into high-performance magnets. Their model, DuctGPT, has produced a roadmap for designing new permanent magnet materials that skip rare earths entirely, which would ease a supply chain the U.S. has long worried about depending on. What makes the work notable is how the model reasons. DuctGPT folds physics-based modeling into its predictions, and it was originally built to invent materials able to survive inside a fusion power plant. That grounding lets it propose genuinely new compositions rather than just remixing known ones, a sign the system grasps some of the underlying science instead of pattern-matching against a catalog. The effort sits under the Department of Energy's Genesis Mission, aimed at critical mineral security. If AI-guided materials discovery keeps delivering candidates like this, it could shorten the slow, expensive hunt for alternatives to scarce inputs.

_Section: [Daily AI Updates](https://www.wortins.com/daily-ai) · Source: Ames Laboratory · Published Tuesday, July 21, 2026_

## Wortins' read

Researchers at Ames National Laboratory are using AI to tackle one of the quieter chokepoints in modern manufacturing: the rare-earth elements packed into high-performance magnets. Their model, DuctGPT, has produced a roadmap for designing new permanent magnet materials that skip rare earths entirely, which would ease a supply chain the U.S. has long worried about depending on. What makes the work notable is how the model reasons. DuctGPT folds physics-based modeling into its predictions, and it was originally built to invent materials able to survive inside a fusion power plant. That grounding lets it propose genuinely new compositions rather than just remixing known ones, a sign the system grasps some of the underlying science instead of pattern-matching against a catalog. The effort sits under the Department of Energy's Genesis Mission, aimed at critical mineral security. If AI-guided materials discovery keeps delivering candidates like this, it could shorten the slow, expensive hunt for alternatives to scarce inputs.

## Source

[Read the full story at Ames Laboratory](https://www.ameslab.gov/news/ames-lab-scientist-provides-ai-driven-roadmap-for-future-permanent-magnet-design)

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