Can one Texas town become the center of American rare earth magnet production? MP Materials is betting on it with a massive new facility.
Building a Rare Earth Magnet Powerhouse
MP Materials is planting its flag in Northlake, Texas, selecting the town for its new $1.25 billion rare earth magnet manufacturing campus [1]. Dubbed "10X," the facility signifies a major push to secure domestic supplies of metals crucial for various industries.The new campus will span 120 acres [1], positioning North Texas as a key hub for the U.S. rare earth magnet supply chain [2]. MP Materials already operates an Independence facility less than 10 miles from the new site in Fort Worth [2].
Inside the "10X" Facility
The "10X" facility will utilize rare earth raw materials sourced and processed from MP Materials' Mountain Pass mine in California [1]. Mountain Pass is the only commercial-scale rare earths mine in the U.S.Once operational, the facility is expected to produce approximately 7,000 metric tons of rare earth magnets annually [1]. This will bring the company's total production capacity to roughly 10,000 metric tons per year [1], significantly boosting domestic production.
A Public-Private Partnership
The Department of Defense (DoD) took a stake in MP Materials in 2025 [1], as the U.S. government aims to secure access to minerals critical for defense, data centers, and personal electronics."We are advancing key objectives under our public-private partnership with the Department of War and accelerating America's rare earth and magnet independence with an uncompromising focus on speed, execution, and delivery," said James Litinsky, founder and CEO of MP Materials [1].
Job Creation and Timeline
Production at the "10X" factory is slated to begin in 2028 [1], and is expected to create 1,500 direct manufacturing and engineering jobs [2].Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) emphasized the importance of this project for national security. "MP Materials is building the infrastructure needed to undo that dependence and bolster American national security," he said [1], referring to reliance on the Chinese Communist Party for critical minerals.
The Bigger Picture: Rare Earths and National Security
Rare earth elements (REEs) are a set of 17 metallic elements that are vital components in many technologies. These include smartphones, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and military applications.Securing a domestic supply of REEs is seen as crucial for U.S. national security and economic competitiveness. This is due to concerns about reliance on foreign sources, particularly China, which currently dominates the rare earth market.
