RGX at MIT: Reimagining Critical Material Security Through Platform Innovation

At the 2025 MIT Platform Strategy Summit, RGX Co-Founder and CEO Sean Miles joined leaders from Microsoft, Schneider Electric, and Alta Resource Technologies to tackle a pressing challenge: how platform models can address critical material shortages while building resilient, circular supply chains.

Watch the full panel discussion: Critical Material Security and the Circular Economy

The Hidden Gold Mine in Your E-Waste

The panel highlighted a clear reality: companies sit on valuable critical materials without realizing it. As Microsoft’s Jack Jia, Principal Sourcing Engineer/Director, Global Circular Cloud Sourcing & Operations, noted, “You could be sitting on a gold mine and may not even know it.”

Through electronic bill of materials systems, Microsoft found substantial rare earth content in decommissioned data center gear, value overlooked for years.

This knowledge gap is a missed opportunity. The United States faces shortages of rare earth magnets and other critical materials, yet tons flow through disposal streams without proper value recovery.

The Platform Solution, Beyond Traditional Recycling

Sean Miles outlined how RGX uses platform innovation, not centralized models, to change outcomes.

“We saw material moving too far for disposal. Qualified, certified firms struggled to access large supply chains even though they were doing the work.” ~ Sean Miles, RGX

Solving the Local vs. Regional Dilemma

  • Local model: heavy admin burden across many vendors.
  • Regional model: high transport costs and higher CO₂.

RGX offers a third option: a vetted network of certified recyclers, on average within 60 miles of the material, combining local efficiency with enterprise-grade compliance and tracking.

From Waste Management to Information Markets

The panel compared today’s materials market to early natural gas markets, before transparent hubs and standards. As moderator Peter C. Evans, Ph.D., noted: “We need better information markets for critical materials. Platforms deal in information, not assets — and we need that same approach here.” (See related article: RGX Featured in New White Paper on How Platforms Are Transforming Electronic Asset Disposition.)

Real-World Impact, The Numbers Behind the Network

  • 300 service providers across the United States.
  • 500 processing locations.
  • Focus areas: telecom, mobility, network infrastructure, raw materials, and general electronics.

The platform handles routine IT assets and specialized industrial materials, with flexibility that regional vendors struggle to match.

Convergence of Sustainability and Security

Katie Schindall, Vice President, Decarbonization Strategy and Transformation at Schneider Electric, emphasized how circularity and decarbonization now move together: “Companies increasingly recognize that resource recovery serves multiple objectives: cost reduction, emissions reduction, and supply chain resilience.”

Schneider partners with suppliers like Glencore to use recycled copper, while helping those suppliers reduce energy use and carbon intensity.

The Technology Advantage

Alta Resource Technologies shows how new processes need market access. As VP of Commercialization Maire Callanan explained, “Our biotech separation can extract rare earths in a single pass compared to traditional methods requiring thousands.”

To commercialize, innovators need transparency and traceability. Platforms connect advanced processors with the right feedstock.

AI Acceleration and Future Challenges

AI data center growth speeds equipment turnover. That brings both opportunity and complexity. AI helps analyze signals and automate choices, while security needs affect reuse versus recycling decisions. As Microsoft’s Jia observed: “AI impact is touching everything. Power needs copper and rare earths, space needs efficient movement, and precision must improve.”

The Policy Gap

Policy often prioritizes new mining over circulation of existing materials through platforms. As Evans pointed out: “The policy community focused on security and critical materials has little knowledge of platforms and their role.”

Building the Future, Education and Network Effects

  • Education: help companies see value in waste streams.
  • Standardization: raise U.S. recycling standards and governance.
  • Network effects: scale platforms for reliable, distributed service.
  • Integration: connect platforms with existing procurement systems.

From Extraction to Circulation

Resource security depends on reclaiming what we already have. Digital platforms make this shift possible by:

  • Creating transparent pricing.
  • Reducing information gaps.
  • Enabling efficient geographic matching.
  • Supporting traceability and compliance.
  • Adapting fast to market changes.

As constraints grow and supply chains face shocks, platforms like RGX move industry from take-make-dispose to circular systems that treat waste as a resource ready for smart allocation.

Andrea Weatherford

Data Analyst

Andrea has built her career around optimizing business and supply chain processes through data-driven insights and operational excellence. Her expertise spans over 20 years, with a focus on business analytics, vendor management, and process improvement using Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

Her passion for continuous improvement extends beyond her professional work. Andrea enjoys applying her analytical mindset to everyday challenges, always looking for ways to streamline and improve processes.

Based in Owasso, Oklahoma, Andrea spends her free time with family and enjoys staying active, constantly seeking new ways to engage with her community.