A small Colorado company has secured rights to technology that could prevent the U.S. public power grid from collapsing — and billionaire Sam Altman is now an investor.

This under-the-radar firm is drawing serious attention from those watching the energy infrastructure space closely.

Tesla and SpaceX depend on massive volumes of raw materials, including 111,000 tons of graphite and 77,000 tons of copper a year, most of it sourced from China.

A new Pentagon rule takes effect January 1, restricting Chinese imports for specific American companies, with Musk's businesses at the top of the list.

One small US-backed company holds exclusive rights to a newly discovered domestic deposit valued between $8 and $16 trillion.