en.Wedoany.com Reported - BHP has deployed an artificial intelligence system at its Escondida copper mine in northern Chile to improve copper recovery efficiency at the concentrator plant.

Located in the Atacama Desert, the Escondida copper mine produces over 1 million tonnes of copper annually. BHP estimates that global copper production needs to double over the next 30 years to meet the demands of decarbonization technologies such as electric vehicles, wind farms, and solar power. Against this backdrop, the company launched the "Copper Concentrator Challenge" project in 2022.

The project combines real-time operational information with artificial intelligence tools developed on Microsoft Azure's machine learning platform. The system generates optimization recommendations through hourly updated predictive models to improve the operation of the concentrator circuit, which is responsible for separating and recovering minerals from crushed and ground materials.

Currently, the technology has optimized the performance of one concentrator plant and has begun expanding to a second plant at the mine site.

The practice at Escondida reflects a growing trend in the global mining industry: the increasing application of digital technologies as tools to enhance productivity, optimize resources, and extend the lifespan of existing mines.

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