The Artificial intelligence came to stay and revolutionize the world, and within this revolution is the mining.
In this case, the importance of AI for the sector does not only cover the prevention of accidents or the possibility of finding minerals in a simpler way. It is also not just a matter of driving trucks remotely or having control over the development of the project through the use of technology.
It is that for To develop Artificial Intelligence, minerals are needed, being the copper Indispensable for the manufacturing of electronic components such as cables and circuits found in AI devices and communication systems is “red gold.” This metal has excellent thermal and electrical conduction properties, making it a key material for the creation of semiconductors and also supercomputers.
How much copper will be needed in 2050?
A BHP study indicated that the Global copper demand to rise to 52.5 million tonnes per year by 2050compared to 30.4 million tons in 2021, which will imply an increase of 72%. These figures grew exponentially, since the demand for electric cars is now added to the requirement for AI to be developed.
Vandita Pantfinancial director of BHPstated that the “exponential development of data centers and AI applications, which require great data processing capacity, is skyrocketing copper consumption globally, where today, data centers represent less than 1% of copper demand, but that figure is expected to rise to 6% or 7% in 2050.”
What copper projects can contribute to Artificial Intelligence?
The copper projects that Argentina has are a great possibility to supply the AI. Among the most advanced are those of San Juan Josemaría (Lundin-BHP), Los Azules (McEwen Cooper) and Pachón (Glencore), but they also stand out -although with a smaller scale of development- TacaTaca (First Quantum) in Salta and MARA in Catamarca, also from Glencore.
An international report placed McEwen Mining, the company in charge of Los Azules projectin a prime position to take advantage of the expansion of the Artificial Intelligence sector, which is increasing demand for critical minerals such as gold and copper used in AI infrastructure.
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A clear example of how to benefit from this need for AI occurs in the case of the Fujikura company specialized in the manufacture of cables for data centers, where its shares increased 400% in value since the beginning of the year, due to demand related to AI.
Hence the international Newsworthy report suggests that mining companies such as McEwen Miningwhich focus on extracting minerals crucial for AI infrastructure, could see similar benefits as the industry’s resource requirements continue to grow.
Why McEwen Mining is positioned as indispensable for Artificial Intelligence
McEwen Mining It has operations in Nevada, Canada, Mexico and Argentina, positioning itself in a privileged place to take advantage of this demand, where the president and main owner of the company, Rob McEwenhas a long-term vision to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the mining sector, including those presented by the rise of artificial intelligence.
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In this spirit, the national government set itself the objective of working to install an international hub of Artificial Intelligence in Patagoniawhich adds greater interest in the development of national copper projects, where the implementation of the RIGI gave the push that was needed to achieve the necessary confidence for large foreign mining companies to invest in the country.
This demand that AI will require will also force companies to have broader technologies when evaluating investment opportunities in resource extraction companies, where one of the questions and issues to take into account is long-term sustainability. term and environmental impact of increased mineral extraction.
Newsworthy took as reference the case of the company Fujikura to glimpse business opportunities for mining companies such as McEwen Miningsince while the demand for critical minerals by AI continues to increase, the miners that are capable of providing these resources will be able to have significant growth, with the role that mining will play for the advancement of technology in the world being vital.
Source: Ambito
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