Latest news: cloud in mining

Botswana’s Debswana and Huawei have unveiled what they claim to be the world’s first 5G-oriented smart diamond mine project. The new smart diamond mine project was announced at the Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2023 conference. 

Debswana information management head Molemisi Nelson Sechaba said the Huawei-enabled smart mine platform is currently being used at Debswana’s Jwangeng open-pit diamond mine in Botswana. This project was commissioned in December 2021. 

Huawei’s 4G eLTE private network connects more than 260 pieces of equipment at the Jwangeng mine, subsequently improving interconnection between the production, safety and security systems of the mine. 

The hardware equipment such as base stations support network upgrades to 5G. Intended to offer high bandwidth with low latency, 5G can support technologies such as autonomous driving. 

Sechaba said the eLTE system enables data transfers and makes equipment such as mining vehicles more efficient while reducing long-term OPEX and improving safety. 

Due to live data collection, backhaul and interaction, the system is sensitive and accurate, in turn protecting staff and vehicles. Debswana is planning to deploy the smart mining solution at its Orapa, Damtshaa, and Letlhakane mines this year. 

Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa Region vice-president Liao Yong said the firm provided services to mining firms in the region, including South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Ghana, over the past five years.

Australian mining company Newcrest will trial advanced 4G long-term evolution (LTE) and 5G underground at its Cadia Valley Operations (CVO) to assess the potential of cellular delivery of data and video to support a “smarter, safer and more sustainable mine”. 

The trial network will be deployed in the next few months in partnership with Ericsson and Telstra Purple, utilising Ericsson’s private 5G solutions to assess cellular approaches to coverage and capacity needs. It will also include the use of various 4G and 5G radio types, massive- and multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output antenna systems for advanced connectivity requirements, and signal booster technology also from Ericsson. 

The three companies have previously worked together to improve communications coverage, performance and safety with 4G LTE at Newcrest’s Lihir mine in Papa New Guinea and also for surface operations at Cadia Valley. 

CVO general manager Aaron Brannigan said in a speech at a mining summit last month that modern mining is a data-driven business, with technology and digitisation creating new levels of productivity and safety, as well as improved efficiency. 

The move represents a growing focus within the mining industry on connectivity. Companies are continuing to embrace new technologies, such as 4G and 5G, as well as cloud storage technology, to advance autonomy, productivity, and safety within mine operations. 

“In the ongoing quest for productivity, efficiency and safety, Newcrest must use every tool at our disposal to boost performance at site while continuing to ensure that everyone at our mines gets home safely at the end of the day” Brannigan said. 

“With 4G and 5G mobile technologies potentially offering better performance and capabilities than Wi-Fi, this trial will help Newcrest to assess its viability for greater coverage, capacity and functionality to support advanced underground automation, our connected worker strategy and future growth at Cadia.”  

Ericsson’s head of Australia and New Zealand, Emilio Romeo, added: “5G connectivity will be instrumental in enabling advanced teleremote and autonomous technologies, which are integral to industries such as mining.” 

Newcrest is Australia’s largest gold miner. In February, it rejected a $16.9bn purchase offer from US-based Newmont, saying that the bid undervalues the company after profits exceeded expectations last year.

US-based capital project management solution provider Contruent has announced the launch of Contruent Enterprise, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution. 

The SaaS solution aids owners of public infrastructure and commercial projects and engineering, procurement, and construction firms to finish tasks faster and more accurately to stay on budget. 

With a customisable dashboard and other capabilities such as integrated cost and schedule, contract management, engineering, and field management, the solution enhances the scheduling and budget management of large-scale projects. 

The Contruent Enterprise is a cloud-based platform that assists its users in efficiently navigating cost management details, optimising spending and performance and improving contractor management. 

In addition to improving communication and collaboration and offering contract management capabilities, it helps users to oversee project-critical change management. 

Contruent CEO Ryan Kubacki said: “Construction projects show no signs of slowing down, particularly with President Biden’s $1.2tn infrastructure initiative being deployed, and budget owners need the best tools to manage these opportunities. 

“In 2022, we invested significantly in research and development and complemented our deep engineering expertise with a new management team from Oracle, Google and Microsoft to innovate, scale and grow. This resulted in growing our global business by 55% in 2022, and we are just getting started.” 

The launch of Contruent Enterprise software comes as the former ARES PRISM rebrands itself to Contruent, building on its 25 years of expertise in aiding construction companies to stay on budget and track. Contruent was formed following the acquisition of ARES PRISM by growth equity firm M33 Growth.