In January 2013 the Department of Energy announced the establishment of the Critical Materials Institute (CMI) at Ames Laboratory, with a mission to develop solutions to the domestic shortages of rare-earth metals and other materials critical for U.S. energy security.
2013年1月，美国能源部宣布在埃姆斯实验室建立关键材料研究所（Critical Materials Institute，CMI）以解决美国国内日益短缺的稀土金属资源问题，以及发展其他与美国能源安全相关的材料。