In the case of a metal shortage, Apple is looking to buy cobalt directly from the mining company, and the metal is a key component of lithium.
Ion batteries in Iphone and ipad.
Worried that the boom in electric vehicles will put pressure on supply, Bloomberg reported that the California tech giant has been discussing contracts for "thousands of metric tons" of cobalt per year for at least five years.
While smartphones use about 10 grams of refined cobalt, a typical EV battery uses between 5 and 10 kilograms.
According to the commodity analyst CRU's research on Glencore, a mining company, if the sales of electric vehicles reach a forecast of 30 million in 2030, this will drive further explosive growth in cobalt demand.