AI stocks need mines too: 5 ASX mining CFDs to watch

[CLOSE](https://gomarkets.com/en/articles/ai-stocks-need-mines-asx-mining-cfds#) [+](https://gomarkets.com/en/articles/ai-stocks-need-mines-asx-mining-cfds#) Enter your email to continue Thank you! Your submission has been received! Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form. ## Related Articles  AI Oil, Metals, Soft Commodities Shares [AI stocks need mines too: 5 ASX mining CFDs to watch](https://gomarkets.com/en/articles/ai-stocks-need-mines-asx-mining-cfds) Behind every data centre are five ASX names to watch. The Editorial Desk • June 15, 2026  AI Central Banks Shares [When Nvidia's Jensen Huang speaks, Asia moves: AI infrastructure stocks to watch](https://gomarkets.com/en/articles/ai-infrastructure-stocks-asia-nvidia-supply-chain) What are the five Asian tech and infrastructure stocks linked to the AI buildout? The Editorial Desk • June 10, 2026  AI Shares [Intel’s AI chip shock: Is TSMC’s manufacturing moat starting to crack?](https://gomarkets.com/en/articles/intel-google-tpu-ai-chip-tsmc-capacity-crunch) Intel’s reported Google TPU order has injected fresh drama into the AI chip race. The Editorial Desk • June 10, 2026 [See all News & Insights](https://gomarkets.com/en/news-analysis) ## Recent Articles AI Oil, Metals, Soft Commodities Shares [AI stocks need mines too: 5 ASX mining CFDs to watch](https://gomarkets.com/en/articles/ai-stocks-need-mines-asx-mining-cfds) Behind every data centre are five ASX names to watch. GO Markets Insights — APAC Commodity Analytics Artificial intelligence may look like a software story. Clean dashboards, faster chips, bigger models, smarter robots. Very futuristic. Very weightless. Except it is not weightless at all. Behind the AI boom sits a very physical shopping list: copper for power grids, lithium for batteries, rare earths for magnets, gold for risk hedging and graphite for battery anodes. [↓ Definitions](https://gomarkets.com/en/articles/ai-stocks-need-mines-asx-mining-cfds#section-definitions) [↓ Five mining stocks to watch](https://gomarkets.com/en/articles/ai-stocks-need-mines-asx-mining-cfds#section-stocks) [↓ Risks and constraints](https://gomarkets.com/en/articles/ai-stocks-need-mines-asx-mining-cfds#section-risks) Definitions Leverage & margin Copyright margin validation. Leverage lets a trader control a larger position with a smaller deposit (margin). It magnifies gains and losses equally. NdPr Neodymium-praseodymium. A rare earth combination used in powerful permanent magnets for motors, turbines and robotics. Resources vs. production Resources are estimated total deposits in the ground. Production is what is actually mined and sold in a given period, a different number entirely. ## Five mining stocks to watch 01 **Sandfire Resources** ASX: SFR Copper · Power Grids Sandfire Resources (ASX: SFR) is a copper producer. Copper is the metal that keeps showing up whenever the world talks seriously about electrification. Data centres need power. Power needs grids. Grids need copper. That is the basic logic behind the Sandfire story. The company has exposure through assets including MATSA in Spain, Motheo in Botswana and the Kalkaroo Copper-Gold project in Australia. In the March 2026 quarter, Sandfire said full-year production was tracking within the lower half of its guidance range, keeping execution firmly in focus. Q3 FY26 Production **34.5kt** Guidance Level **Lower Half** Strategic Focus **Execution** **Group copper equivalent production, March 2026 quarter:** That makes Sandfire a way to watch whether copper demand is being translated into producer earnings, rather than just commodity headlines. But this is not a simple "AI goes up, copper stocks go up" equation. Mining costs, grades, safety performance, weather, project timing and commodity price swings can all change the story quickly. Copper may have a strong long-term demand case, but producers still have to deliver quarter by quarter. 02 **Pilbara Minerals** ASX: PLS Lithium · Battery Storage Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) is one of Australia's best-known lithium names. It owns the Pilgangoora operation in Western Australia, a major hard-rock lithium asset. Lithium became famous through electric vehicles, but the AI angle is a little broader. Data centres need reliable power. That means battery storage, back-up systems and grid support. Lithium sits inside that battery supply chain. In the March 2026 quarter, Pilbara reported stronger operational momentum as realised pricing improved, with cash margin from operations lifting sharply. Record Spodumene **232.4kt** Cash Margin **Lifting Sharply** Asset Control **100% Pilgangoora** **Record spodumene production, March 2026 quarter:** Spodumene is the lithium-bearing mineral concentrate that feeds into lithium chemicals used in batteries. That is why traders watch PLS closely. It can behave like a leveraged read on lithium sentiment. The catch is that lithium is famously cyclical. Prices can move hard when supply catches up, when battery demand slows, or when Chinese pricing shifts. PLS may benefit when lithium prices rise, but it can also be hit quickly when the cycle turns. 03 **Lynas Rare Earths** ASX: LYC Rare Earths · Magnets Lynas Rare Earths (ASX: LYC) sits in a more geopolitical corner of the AI supply chain. Rare earths are not always rare in the ground, but processing them at scale is the difficult part. Lynas is a major rare earths producer outside China, which gives it strategic importance as governments and manufacturers look for more diversified supply chains. Its key product exposure includes neodymium-praseodymium, known as NdPr. This is used in powerful permanent magnets. Those magnets matter for electric motors, wind turbines, robotics and some cooling systems. In the March 2026 quarter, Lynas reported stronger NdPr pricing versus the prior quarter. Investors are also watching its processing footprint across [Malaysia and the US](https://www.gomarkets.com/en/articles/intel-google-tpu-ai-chip-tsmc-capacity-crunch) where capacity crunches remain top of mind. Total REO Output **3,233t** NdPr Spot Price **Strengthening** Geographic Footprint **WA / MY / US** **Total rare earth oxide production, March 2026 quarter:** The risk is valuation and execution. Rare earths are policy-sensitive, price-sensitive and technically complex. A supply chain premium can support sentiment, but it can fade if prices weaken, projects slip or geopolitical attention moves elsewhere. 04 **Northern Star Resources** ASX: NST Gold · Macro Hedge Northern Star Resources (ASX: NST) is the outlier in this list because it is a gold miner, not a direct AI input story. Gold has some industrial use, including in electronics. But the bigger market story is macro. When inflation concerns, currency worries or geopolitical stress rise, gold often gets pulled back into the conversation as a defensive asset. Northern Star gives traders exposure to that gold theme through an ASX-listed producer rather than spot bullion. The company is also progressing the KCGM Fimiston Mill Expansion in Kalgoorlie. Mineral Resources **88.9Moz** Resource Horizon **To 31 Mar 2026** Kalgoorlie Asset **KCGM Expansion** **Mineral Resources, 12 months to 31 March 2026:** A resource estimate, not a production figure. Here is where the story gets more interesting. NST may not move on gold alone. Activist Watch // Beyond the gold price Northern Star has faced activist pressure from **Elliott Investment Management**, which has pushed for strategic changes. For