The Ascent of AI

The future success of mining hinges not only in the advances surrounding heavy machinery and automation, but rather in the limitless potential and sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI). And no, this is not just one more thing to read about AI – but a real look into not what’s about to happen, but what is happening now.

In essence, software investment is increasingly supplanting hardware investment as the more valuable source of gaining value in large-scale mining operations; particularly in the sphere of monitoring, maintaining, repairing, and replacing costly and critical capital equipment. Prioritizing the extension of equipment life and its components is a 24/7 mandate for mining operators who need to keep the site operating at capacity during major replacements, overhauls, and maintenance of vital machinery. And this isn’t just about non-prescribed and prescribed maintenance to avoid crippling shut-downs, but in maximizing the Residual Equipment Life of the capital machinery that is central to your ongoing operations.  

Managing the myriad tasks and volumes of data required to anticipate, plan, and execute repairs that are necessary to sustain and extend the life of hard-working equipment are presently handled by humans. Not for long. AI in the mining sector is already proving to be a game-changer with respect to residual equipment life management or RELM™. Many challenges remain in the development of this AI, but (somewhat ironically) it all starts on the human side with determining and disseminating the data that you feed it. The old saying of ‘garbage in, garbage out’ certainly applies here and you will (for at least the foreseeable future) still need humans to play a major role. While AI is the tool, humans must ensure manual input of all necessary information. And this of course includes matching the volumes of technical data with the engineering specifications from the manufacturer, a key process that will determine the ability of AI to make intelligent recommendations. But the process is well underway, and expert early adopters like RaamCore are already emerging. We were pleased to launch RELM™ as a formal practice in January 2024 with proprietary, purpose-built AI-driven software coming to market soon.