TDK Ventures Invests in R3 Lithium to Accelerate US Domestic Supply of Lithium Carbonate

• TDK Ventures invests in R3 Lithium, a Covington, Georgia-based company specializing in lithium carbonate recovery from recycled battery materials.
• R3 Lithium’s focus on lithium carbonate is designed to address supply reliability challenges in critical mineral supply chains.
• The partnership aims to provide access to expertise from TDK Ventures and explore technical collaboration with R3 Lithium.

TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) has announced that its corporate venture capital arm, TDK Ventures, Inc., has invested in R3 Lithium, welcoming the company as the 55th addition to its global portfolio. The investment is part of R3 Lithium’s oversubscribed $15 million Series A funding round alongside co-investors Integral GlobalTech Partners, Axial Partners and others.

R3 Lithium owns and is upgrading a commercial-scale lithium carbonate recovery facility in Covington, Georgia, where the team demonstrated production of recycled lithium carbonate in 2025, before R3 Lithium’s acquisition. The 154,000-square-foot plant is designed to use a calciner-based crystallization and water-based precipitation process to extract and refine lithium carbonate directly from recycled black mass, without requiring primary mining or overseas refining for that process. R3 Lithium is targeting continuous commercial production in 2027.

A Disciplined, Lithium-First Sequence

R3 Lithium’s operational thesis addresses a key challenge in critical mineral supply chains: converting commercial-scale proof into dependable, continuous supply. Rather than targeting multi-material recovery simultaneously, R3 Lithium focuses on a single primary output—lithium carbonate.

Key highlights of the operation include:

• Commercial-Scale Baseline: The Covington facility holds 30,000 metric tons of shredding capacity and a 2,500-metric-ton lithium carbonate recovery line, with physical space allocated to double capacity.
• Single-Site Integration: Feedstock shredding through refining will occur in one location, yielding multiple revenue streams by producing lithium carbonate while selling remaining concentrated metal oxides (CMO).
• Commercial Traction: R3 Lithium holds long-term offtake agreements with counterparties including Trafigura, with an estimated aggregate potential value of approximately $1 billion over their full terms, based on pricing and volume assumptions.

Preserving Lessons, Resetting Capital Strategy

Having previously invested in the technology’s initial development under Battery Resourcers / Ascend Elements, TDK Ventures’ investment follows a diligence process evaluating R3 Lithium’s restructured approach.

“R3 Lithium brings together an experienced team, demonstrated lithium recovery at commercial scale, and a clear focus on building dependable domestic supply,” said Nicolas Sauvage, President of TDK Ventures. “We believe this team can help make recycled batteries an important source of America’s critical minerals. Our ambition is to support that journey with more than capital, connecting R3 Lithium with relevant expertise across TDK as it turns demonstrated capability into reliable industrial production.”

“Strengthening domestic lithium recovery and refining is essential to building a more reliable U.S. battery supply chain,” said Linh Austin, President and CEO of R3 Lithium. “R3 Lithium is setting a new pace for domestic supply with a proven facility that has already demonstrated production at scale, paired with the focused capital model needed to reach continuous commercial operations.”

Corporate Synergy and Strategic Support

TDK Ventures will support R3 Lithium by connecting the company with relevant experts across energy, materials, and industrial transformation. TDK Ventures will also explore technical collaborations with TDK Corporation business units specializing in process control, power systems, sensing, and manufacturing quality.

For more information on TDK Ventures, visit www.tdk-ventures.com. To learn more about R3 Lithium’s technology, visit www.r3lithium.com.

About TDK Corporation

TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) is a global technology company and innovation leader in the electronics industry, based in Tokyo, Japan. With the tagline “In Everything, Better” TDK aims to realize a better future across all aspects of life, industry, and society. For over 90 years, TDK has shaped the world from within; from the pioneering ferrite cores to cassette tapes that defined an era, to powering the digital age with advanced components, sensors, and batteries, leading the way towards a more sustainable future. United by TDK Venture Spirit, a start-up mentality built on visions, courage and mutual trust, TDK’s passionate team members around the globe pursue better—for ourselves, customers, partners, and the world. Today, the state-of-the-art technologies of TDK are in everything, from industrial applications, energy systems, electric vehicles, to smartphones and gaming, at the core of modern life. TDK’s comprehensive, innovative-driven portfolio includes cutting-edge passive components, sensors and sensor systems, power supplies, lithium-ion and solid-state batteries, magnetic heads, AI and enterprise software solutions, and more—featuring numerous market-leading products. These are marketed under the product brands TDK, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics, TDK-Lambda, TDK SensEI, and ATL.  Positioning the AI ecosystem as a key strategic area, TDK leverages its global network across the automotive, information and communication technology, and industrial equipment sectors to expand its business in a wide range of fields. In fiscal 2026, TDK posted total sales of USD 16.6 billion and employed about 107,000 people worldwide.

About TDK Ventures

TDK Ventures Inc. invests in startups to bolster innovation in materials science, energy/power, and related areas typically underrepresented in venture capital portfolios. Established in 2019 as a wholly owned subsidiary of TDK Corporation, the corporate venture company’s vision is to propel the digital and energy transformations of segments such as robotics and industrial, next-generation transportation, mixed reality, and the wider IoT/IIoT markets. TDK Ventures will co-invest and support promising portfolio companies by providing technical expertise and access to global markets where TDK operates. Interested startups or investment partners may contact TDK Ventures: www.tdk-ventures.com or contact@tdk-ventures.com.

About R3 Lithium

R3 Lithium operates North America’s first commercial-scale lithium carbonate recovery facility, located in Covington, Georgia. Using a lithium-first extraction process, the company recovers, refines, and returns lithium carbonate from recycled black mass into the battery supply chain for energy storage systems, defense applications, and electric vehicles. Founded in 2026 and privately held, R3 Lithium is headquartered at 9176 Industrial Drive NE, Covington, Georgia. For more information, visit www.r3lithium.com.

You can download this text and associated images from https://tdk-ventures.com/announcements/tdk-ventures-invests-in-r3-lithium-to-accelerate-us-domestic-supply-of-lithium-carbonate

Contacts for regional media