South Star Hosts Harvard Students for Potential AI Use at Santa Cruz

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- South Star Battery Metals Corp. (“South Star” or the “Company”) (TSXV: STS) (OTCQB: STSBF) is pleased to provide information on a site visit by students from Harvard University studying critical mineral processing. The goal is to determine how AI applications can provide streamlined data collection. Their research is bringing a fresh perspective on process improvement, optimization opportunities and the potential application of new technologies.

Harvard Students

Members of the inaugural Q-Fellows cohort at the Harvard Innovation Labs toured the Santa Cruz project September 16 – September 19, 2026. The group included Raymond Jiang (Applied Mathematics), Mary McColm (Environmental Science and Engineering), Fiona Millan (History of Science and Computer Science) and Ethan Tan (Computer Science and Statistics). Ethan was unable to travel to site but worked on the project.

Critical Minerals

The team researched the critical minerals supply chain. This included over 100 interviews across mining, processing, national laboratories and government. This research showed that the major bottleneck for critical minerals is processing. With approximately 90% of critical mineral processing capacity concentrated in China, the group identified that non-China critical mineral processing is hindered by the transition from pilot scale to commercial production. The team considered graphite due to its direct input to lithium-ion batteries.

South Star Battery Metals

The company was considered for inclusion in the study due to the fact that Santa Cruz has production and building capacity outside of China. The Santa Cruz project is the first graphite mine to go into production in North America in decades (click for source at Mining.com).

The team’s goal is to determine whether the data already being generated at the plant can be used more effectively to support process decisions.

According to Raymond Jiang, “We spent ten weeks interviewing people about mineral processing before any of us had set foot in a plant. It was incredibly valuable to see how much of this work depends on judgement that you can’t see in a spreadsheet. Our aim is to work with data and determine what statistical analysis can surface that is genuinely useful to the team on the ground. We are approaching this as research, and we are deliberately not promising outcomes.”

About South Star Battery Metals Corp.

South Star is a Canadian battery metals project developer focused on the selective acquisition and development of near-term production projects in the Americas. South Star’s Santa Cruz graphite project, located in southern Bahia, Brazil, is the first of a series of industrial and battery metals projects that is anticipated to be put into production. Brazil is the second largest graphite producing region in the world with more than 80 years of continuous mining. With excellent infrastructure and logistics, Santa Cruz is slated to be the newest graphite producer in the Americas. South Star trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol STS, and on the OTCQB under the symbol STSBF. South Star is committed to a corporate culture, project execution
plan and safe operations that embrace the highest standards of ESG principles, based on transparency, stakeholder engagement, ongoing education, and stewardship. To learn more, please visit the Company website at southstarbatterymetals.com.

For additional information:
South Star Investor Relations
Email: invest@southstarbatterymetals.com
Phone: +1 (303) 519-5149

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding production and scaling of operations at Santa Cruz, and the Company’s plans and expectations.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.