Western NdFeB Bypass Paths
Three named build paths. Different chemistries. Different timelines.
Niron Magnetics [20]
1,500 tons/year — Sartell MN plant under construction
iron nitride (Fe₁₆N₂) — zero rare earths
AI INFRA
DEFENSE
ROBOTICS
EV
OPERATING (pilot)
UNDER CONSTRUCTION (full-scale)
ZF Friedrichshafen — I2SM [21]
Production-ready since late 2023
Separately-excited synchronous motor — zero magnets, zero rare earths
EV TRACTION
PRODUCTION-READY
Honda × Daido Steel [22]
Shipping in Honda FREED hybrid since 2016
Hot-deformed neodymium magnet — zero heavy rare earths (no Dy, no Tb)
HYBRID EV
DEFENSE-ADJACENT
IN PRODUCTION
Iron nitride (no rare earths)
NdFeB chemistry, made outside China