Tech in mining #7
Hey there! Hope you are had a good week. Sharing below some interesting updates over the last two weeks in the mining world.
π Interesting updates
Over the last couple of months, we have had multiple conversations with mining stakeholders about the long term impact of COVID on mines. One thing that keeps coming up is increasing optimism of prioritizing deployment of autonomous tech in the next few years. Mining Technology has a quick read on this topic highlighting the positive push in this direction. More here and hereπ€
An open pit mine in Russia, SUEK, is testing out the potential of 5G in its autonomous haulage system over the next few weeks. 5G should become the new communication standard for automation, and this test will be a helpful case study! More here πΆ
Last week, IBM and Shell announced that they are launching Oren, a B2B digital mining services marketplace. The goal is to improve transparency in the industry by allowing all solution developers to market to mining clients and curating a repository of resources. It's a great step, but it will depend on how open the platform turns out to be - time will tell! We did have a chance to speak to one of the team members at Oren this week to learn about their vision, and explore if it makes sense to have SedimentIQ be a part of their marketplace. More here ππ½
Not tech related, but the news of Saniniu Laizer, an African miner who sold Tanzanite rocks to the Government for $3.3M, is really interesting. It highlights a rare victory for African government in being able to regulate artisanal mining which employs 40 million people+! Tanzanite is one of the rarest minerals only found in Tanzania, and until 2019, hundreds of small scale miners would sell the gems excavated illicitly. Recently, the government started licensing small scale miners to create a more sustainable and possibly less damaging industry. More here π·
Did you know 20% of the worldβs gold supply, 80% of sapphires, and 20% of diamonds are mined through artisanal mining? (Source: IGF)
π° Investment:
Hyperscience, a Washington based blaster technology startup, announced they have raised more than $9 million through crowdfunding sites, SeedInvest and Crowdcube. They use extreme velocity (5x speed of sound) to improve blasting efficiency, and plan to apply this tech to launching projectiles as well! Their PR here
π Charts:
Verdict conducted a poll (unknown sample) to get a pulse check of industry's safety response to Covid. While 54% said they agree or strongly agree on their company's response, quite a few aren't that satisfied. More here
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Have a great weekend!