In a recent article in Smart Company , Holly Bridgewater talks about how Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are on the “Hunt for investment opportunities in the mining industry“.
They have already backed a technology fund called Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) and tech money is predicted to flow into mining with a focus on big data, vertical supply chains and green practices
This should be a wakeup call to the industry as those who adapt to the challenge will become more agile in a tech driven future.
Bu why would these big shots be interested in an old established, highly complex industry like mining? The answer is that all of them are dedicated to impacting the global environment and are focussed on investments in green energy to achieve this.
Their focus on renewable energy leads to sourcing lithium and cobalt for batteries and rare earths for the magnets in electric motors
But they could also be interested in copper which is a key element in all new technologies which make the world greener and smarter- electric vehicles, solar energy, wind power and connectivity all rely heavily on copper. If Bill and Jeff are looking to create end to end solutions for key raw materials, they will ultimately realise copper is a key element in their plans.
When they do focus on the copper industry though, they will find that the industry is already well on its way to technological disruption and improvement.
Soon to be released is a Technology Roadmap for the “Zero Emission Copper Mine of the Future” which shows horizon 1, 2 and 3 technology adoptions ultimately leading the industry to a zero emission future. At this stage we see the changes occurring over a 20-30 year period, but with the involvement of Bill and Jeff , we may be able to achieve Horizon 3 technology breakthroughs in a much shorter period.
Already the Copper industry has moved in the right direction by introducing the Copper Mark accreditation program for mines, so we would welcome the opportunity to fast track making mines even more clean, green and mean with the help of some tech giants.
The lines are open Bill and Jeff.
Cheers
John Fennell