Greenland is not yet under Trump’s control, Bill Gates and other tech giants are already planning mining on the big island
Even as the tug-of-war between Donald Trump and Denmark over Greenland intensifies, tech giants like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman and others are already planning to use the icy island to mine rare earth minerals and establish a private city called Freedom City.
Everything is going according to plan. Or so it seems as far as Greenland is concerned. The island, which has become a major diplomatic flashpoint between Denmark and US President Donald Trump, is also a big attraction for many tech billionaires who are already planning various plans around it. While Denmark is sticking to Trump’s demand that Greenland be controlled and owned by the US, tech billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel are busy investing money in companies that will economically exploit the natural resources on the pristine island.
Greenland is currently Danish territory. However, it is close to the US and US President Donald Trump has demanded that it should be sold to his country. Trump has said that if Denmark refuses to do so, the US could also use military aggression to occupy Greenland.
While diplomats are trying to resolve the dispute between Denmark and the US, the tech billionaire is not waiting for the issue to be resolved. Instead, they already have big plans involving natural resources in Greenland, and they are investing money in companies that are expected to be on the island in the coming months or years.
Greenland for rare earth minerals
According to Forbes, in 2019, just months after Trump first expressed interest in buying Greenland, Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates invested in Kobold Metals, a company focused on exploring for rare earth metals in Greenland. The investment was made through Breakthrough Energy, a Bill Gates-led firm that focuses on green energy innovation.
Three years later, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman invested in the same firm through venture capital firm Apollo Projects. And in December 2024, Breakthrough Energy participated in Kobold’s Series C investment round.
This is not all. According to CNBC, Critical Metals Corp, a company with mining projects in Greenland, has revealed that it has investors who have also invested in the ‘Magnificent Seven’ US tech companies – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla. Additionally, Critical Metals Corp. CEO Tony Sage has said that the company’s project in Greenland has received more attention due to Trump’s comments on Greenland.
Freedom City run by tech companies
But rare mineral soils, which are essential for silicon chips and smart devices, aren’t the only attraction for tech companies in Greenland. Tech giants have also set their sights on the island as they see its sparse and pristine landscape as a canvas on which they can build a utopian city. Although details are sparse, the idea is that tech companies could set up a private city – currently named Freedom City by Donald Trump – that they could run according to their own rules and norms.
The concept of a network city refers to a private, non-democratic city governed by a technocratic government. A startup called Praxis is planning to build such a city on Danish territory, with company CEO Dryden Brown trying to buy the island in 2023. Praxis is backed by PayPal billionaire Peter Thiel, who is close to US Vice President JD Vance, as well as right-wing circles in the US. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also invested in Praxis. The company has received crores of rupees in seed funding so far, including from many people who are part of the tech industry.
Why are tech billionaires investing in Greenland?
Now that we know big tech giants are investing millions in the Danish territory at a time when US President Donald Trump is threatening to take over the island, we need to look at why.
Reports indicate that substantial investment has been made in the proposed mining operations, and this is no coincidence. It is said that Greenland has large reserves of rare earth minerals. Another mining company in the region, Amarok, said in November 2025 that its mining projects had “commercial scale” deposits of germanium and gallium. Two important minerals for manufacturing advanced AI chips.
Greenland is said to contain 1.5 million tonnes of rare earth minerals, the eighth largest known reserve in the world. These minerals are important not only for AI chips, but also for other sectors like defence, robotics, electronics and aerospace.
