Andreessen Horowitz-backed Mariana Minerals has engaged Sweden’s Sandvik to install autonomous surface drilling technology at its start-up Copper One mine in Utah, USA – labelled an “important site” by one of the world’s largest mining equipment manufacturers.
“The drill is where the mine begins,” Mariana CEO Turner Caldwell said.
“When you integrate it into your operating system it doesn’t just execute a plan, it informs and improves everything that follows. That is the shift from automation to autonomy.
“Sandvik gives us the platform and MarianaOS turns it into a system that learns. That is what we are building at Copper One.”
Mariana has raised US$85 million of private capital to develop its technology and build a mine production base.
It is looking to retrofit AI-driven software and automation technology to a small-scale brownfield operation it wants to expand to produce 50,000 tonnes a year of copper.
Mariana said Sandvik’s AutoMine drill-control platform was being integrated into its MarianaOS operating system.
“Pairing AutoMine with MarianaOS will unlock new levels of efficiency and safety for the Copper One mine and we are delighted to support Mariana Minerals as they develop this important site,” Sandvik mining president Mats Eriksson said.
