BHP Increases Use of Artificial Intelligence in Global Mining Operations
BHP, the world's largest mining company, is deploying artificial intelligence technologies to cope with declining ore grades and resource constraints.
BHP is implementing two key artificial intelligence-based use cases to increase efficiency and ensure safety in its global mining operations.
Artificial Intelligence and Global Mining
BHP, positioned as the world's largest mining company by market value, operates in Australia, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Canada, and the United States.
With copper demand expected to rise in the future and ore grades declining, the company is turning to artificial intelligence to extract more value from its operations.
Process Optimization at the Escondida Copper Mine
At the Escondida mine, located in Chile's Atacama Desert and boasting the world's largest copper production volume, artificial intelligence integration has been achieved in collaboration with Microsoft.
Azure-based machine learning systems provide hourly predictions to operations teams, transforming the process into a continuous and real-time decision-making mechanism.
Achieving Water and Energy Savings
According to data shared by company executive Mike Henry, this artificial intelligence initiative has provided significant savings since fiscal year 2022.
Through the system, more than three gigaliters of water and 118 gigawatt-hours of energy have been saved, increasing operational efficiency.
Computer Vision in Equipment Safety
BHP has activated computer vision systems running on existing camera infrastructure at its facilities in Chile and Western Australia.
The developed models detect debris, oversized materials, and foreign objects on conveyors, providing early warnings and triggering automated interventions.
Increase in Iron Oxide Production
According to S&P Global reports, crusher downtime in Western Australia's iron ore operations has been reduced by 20 percent.
With related disruptions also falling by up to 60 percent, an additional 1 million tons of iron ore production, valued at approximately 50 million dollars, has been achieved annually.