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Forging the Future: A Mines–MIT Initiative to Secure the World’s Computing Foundations

By Bill Mercer & ChatGPT September 3, 2025

As global conversations shift toward artificial intelligence, data centers, and sustainable infrastructure, one truth is becoming clear: the 21st century’s most valuable assets are not only the algorithms we code but the minerals beneath our feet. Without rare earth elements, critical minerals, and the infrastructure to refine and deploy them, the digital world we take for granted cannot exist.

This is where two institutions—each with unmatched strengths—can come together to chart a new path forward. The Colorado School of Mines, long recognized as the world’s leader in mining, energy, and geoscience, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an icon of technological advancement, innovation, and global impact. I know these institutions personally, having been educated by both. And I believe the moment has arrived for them to collaborate in ways that serve not just academia, but society at large.

The Challenge We Face

The largest finance institutions in the world are sounding the alarm. BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and sovereign wealth funds alike have linked their capital allocation strategies to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles. At the same time, there is an insatiable demand for AI-ready data centers, cryptocurrency validation networks, and next-generation telecom infrastructure.

Behind all of these are physical requirements: copper for wiring, lithium for batteries, cobalt for stability, rare earths for processors and magnets, and the water and energy systems to sustain them. Securing access to these resources responsibly—without repeating the environmental mistakes of the past—is one of the defining challenges of our century.

The Mines–MIT Global Minerals & Infrastructure Initiative

I propose the Mines–MIT Global Minerals & Infrastructure Initiative (GMI²): a joint program uniting geoscience, data science, and systems engineering to map, model, and mobilize the world’s mineral resources for the sustainable buildout of digital infrastructure.

Core Objectives:

1. Global Mineral Mapping – Use satellite sensing, AI-driven geology, and blockchain-based verification to identify and track critical mineral reserves.

2. Sustainable Mining Protocols – Develop new extraction and processing techniques that meet ESG benchmarks, with Mines’ expertise in responsible engineering at the core.

3. Infrastructure-to-Market Modeling – Combine MIT’s leadership in systems modeling and computer science with Mines’ industry partnerships to link resources to end-use cases like data centers, telecom backbones, and decentralized computing.

4. Policy & Finance Integration – Provide governments, capital markets, and institutional investors with frameworks to evaluate projects for both profitability and planetary stewardship.

5. Talent Pipeline – Train the next generation of engineers, geoscientists, and technologists who can bridge the gap between natural resource stewardship and global-scale technology deployment.

Why Now

It is September 2025, and the timing could not be more urgent. From Washington to Davos, conversations center on data center scaling, crypto energy demands, ESG compliance, and AI sovereignty. Meanwhile, geopolitical flashpoints around mineral supply chains threaten the stability of everything from smartphones to satellites.

By uniting the unmatched mineral expertise of Mines with the cutting-edge technology leadership of MIT, this initiative positions both institutions—and the United States more broadly—at the forefront of responsible digital infrastructure development.

A Call to Action

I have seen firsthand the brilliance, grit, and vision that emerge from both Golden, Colorado and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Each campus embodies a unique strength. Together, they could redefine the blueprint for how humanity builds, powers, and governs the computational backbone of the future.

This is not just about mining. It is not just about technology. It is about aligning natural resources, human talent, and financial capital to build systems that respect both people and planet while unleashing the transformative potential of AI, telecommunications, and decentralized computing.

The world is ready. The finance sector is ready. Students are ready. The only question is whether the institutions will rise to this historic opportunity.

Bill Mercer
Entrepreneur, Engineer, and Advocate for Sustainable Infrastructure
Colorado School of Mines ’13 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology ’19

The Coming Quiet Revolution in Energy Capital Flows

By Bill Mercer III & ChatGPT– June 2025

For decades, the rhythm of capital in the energy industry has been slow, defensive, and conflict-prone. Payments are delayed, ownership is often disputed, and royalties pass through layers of reconciliation before reaching their rightful recipients. In many emerging markets—and even in the Permian—it’s not unusual for a verified barrel to generate revenue 90 days later, after five different departments and three law firms agree on what already happened.

This isn’t fraud. It’s friction. And it's costing all of us.

Over the last year, I’ve become increasingly convinced that we’re approaching a fundamental shift—not in the physical production of energy, but in how capital, data, and ownership move within it. The catalyst? The convergence of real-time verified data, smart contracts, and tokenized ownership structures.

Before you roll your eyes and file this under crypto hype, consider the following:

• Shell has quietly executed blockchain-based oil trades in Europe, removing multiple intermediaries and accelerating settlement.

• GuildOne in Canada has piloted smart contract-driven royalty disbursements tied directly to well performance—removing human error and dispute from the equation.

• Renewable developers across Europe are tokenizing asset ownership, allowing family offices and sovereign funds to take fractional, liquid positions in real infrastructure—not REITs, not derivatives—real pipelines and turbines.

These aren’t startups pitching vaporware. These are quietly operating systems backed by real commodity flows.

What’s missing is the application layer—someone to stitch together the verified production data, the title integrity, the legal wrappers, and the contractual logic. Not in a lab. In Luanda. In Basra. In Oklahoma.

The real opportunity isn’t building a new system. It’s absorbing the old one. Then optimizing it.

Smart contracts don’t replace the Geneva handshake, but they can enforce the downstream of that handshake with less waste, fewer arguments, and faster capital recovery. They can turn 90-day receivables into real-time performance-based payouts. They can tokenize equity in a rig and let partners exit or increase exposure without dragging everyone through a liquidity event.

If that sounds improbable, consider how improbable it once was to send a wire without calling your banker.

We’re not talking theory. We’re talking about optimizing the invisible rails that carry hundreds of billions in CAPEX, royalties, and O&M flows across a global energy system still running on email chains and wet signatures.

This is not a startup pitch. This is a quiet revolution. And the ones who recognize it early—especially those who can bridge traditional industry relationships with modern technology execution—will not only create new value, they’ll extract trapped value that’s been sitting in the system for years.

If you’re operating, advising, or allocating capital within energy or infrastructure—and you’ve quietly suspected there’s a better way to move money, validate ownership, or share revenue—you're not alone.

The shift has already started. You just haven’t seen the headlines yet.

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Bill Mercer III
Global Advisor | Energy | Infrastructure | Capital Markets

The World We Share: How Global Geopolitics Affects Us All—And How We Can Make It Better

By: Bill Mercer & ChatGPT May 2025

INTRODUCTION

We live in a world that’s more connected than ever—but also more divided. From rising costs of living to global conflicts, from digital surveillance to mass migration, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. But underneath all the noise, something powerful is emerging: a shared desire for a better, fairer world.

This article explores the forces shaping our planet and how we, the people, can build a happier, healthier, and more peaceful global society—one solution at a time.

1. Power Structures: Who’s Really in Charge?

Most people feel that someone “up there” is pulling the strings—and they’re not entirely wrong.

• Corporate & Political Elites: Research from Oxfam (2024) shows that the richest 1% now own nearly half of the world’s wealth.

• Pharmaceutical Influence: The opioid crisis in the U.S. revealed how profit-driven decisions (e.g., Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin marketing) can lead to mass suffering.

• “Deep State” Concerns: Distrust in government bureaucracy is rising, especially in nations where decisions seem opaque and unaccountable.

What can we do?

• Demand transparency laws and public oversight for lobbying, campaign donations, and corporate influence.

• Support independent journalism and decentralized platforms to hold power accountable.

2. Digital Currency & Control: Freedom or Trap?

Money is becoming data. But who controls that data?

• CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies) are being tested in over 100 countries (IMF, 2024).

• Pros: Faster, more secure transactions.

• Cons: Governments could theoretically freeze accounts, tax automatically, or deny purchases.

What can we do?

• Advocate for opt-in privacy standards in digital finance.

• Support diverse exchange systems: cash, crypto, gold, and barter. Diversification = freedom.

• Back Web3 platforms that prioritize user ownership.

3. Sovereignty vs. Global Governance: Can We All Agree?

Should the world share common rules, or does each culture decide for itself?

• Some cultures still enforce child marriage, genital mutilation, or gender discrimination—laws that clash with global human rights.

• Proposals like a Global Voting App spark ideas: Could people worldwide agree on universal human values?

Challenges:

• Religious law (e.g., Sharia) vs. secular law.

• Cultural norms vary deeply: what’s acceptable in one region is abhorrent in another.

What can we do?

• Foster "sovereign communities": safe zones where like-minded people live by shared values.

• Promote global ethics education through media, schools, and online platforms.

• Encourage dialogue, not dominance. Progress grows from respect.

4. Political Leadership: What Makes a Good Leader?

In the U.S., polarization is at an all-time high. But leadership shouldn't be about red vs. blue—it should be about results, character, and vision.

• Trump brought a message of disruption, nationalism, and transparency (raw, sometimes divisive).

• JD Vance, a rising conservative voice, blends tech-savviness with working-class understanding.

What can we do?

• Vote for individuals, not parties. Seek leaders with integrity, vision, and data literacy.

• Encourage younger, hybrid-generation candidates who understand both industrial and digital worlds.

5. Social Class & Economic Justice: How Much is Enough?

The world is rich—but not everyone shares that richness.

• Many countries have extreme wealth gaps (e.g., the U.S. Gini index is rising, per Census Bureau).

• Automation could replace millions of jobs—but it could also give people more free time.

What can we do?

• Advocate for a “Universal Basic Time”: Work less, live more.

• Promote AI-driven productivity that shares gains with the people, not just shareholders.

• Create community co-ops where profits fund education, health, or housing.

6. Case Study: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is one of the few nations with no personal income tax, funded by oil exports.

• Vision 2030, led by Mohammed bin Salman, is a plan to modernize Saudi society—empowering youth, women, and business.

• However, human rights remain a concern, and wealth gaps still exist.

Lesson?
Prosperity comes when governments invest in people—not just infrastructure.

7. A Path Forward: What Real Solutions Look Like

Challenge

Solution

Who Benefits

Wealth Concentration

Transparency + Fair Taxation

Middle & lower class

Surveillance Capitalism

Data ownership rights

Everyone

Political Division

Ranked-choice voting, new parties

Voters

Work-life imbalance

4-day workweek, UBI pilots

Families

Global moral conflict

Respectful “sovereign zones”

Cultures & minorities

Economic volatility

Diversified value systems

Consumers & small businesses

CONCLUSION: The World You Want is Possible

We don’t need a perfect world—we just need a better one.

• One where you can work less and live more.

• Where you’re free to believe without fear.

• Where your data is yours, and your money doesn’t vanish in a spreadsheet error.

• Where we stop choosing sides—and start choosing solutions.

It won’t be easy. But it starts with conversations like this. And it continues with every vote, every dollar, every idea, and every act of kindness.

The world is watching. Let’s give it something beautiful to witness.

Bill Mercer