Saudi mining innovator uses AI to cut carbon

Innovations in smart robotics are helping a leading Middle Eastern mining company to reduce its carbon footprint and keep human employees safe.

 

Ma’aden, Saudi Arabia’s leading mining enterprise, is working with OffWorld, a pioneer in AI-powered industrial mining systems, to take the first steps towards fully autonomous mineral extraction by exploring the potential of smart robots in the industry giant’s mines. The promise of robotic mining will, said the partners, usher in a new era of zero-carbon footprint mining with no people in harm’s way, and will revolutionize the processing of the minerals in the mine itself.

 

“The mining industry has been lagging to fully unlock the capabilities of emerging technologies,” commented Hamad Al-Rashidi, Ma’aden Senior Vice President of Safety, Sustainability & Innovation. “The world cannot afford for the mining industry to continue to operate legacy mining methods that put humans in harsh operational environments and unnecessarily move millions of tonnes of waste material. Ma’aden intends to lead the way by leveraging technological advancement in robotics and Artificial Intelligence to achieve fully autonomous mining.”

 

“OffWorld is developing the world’s most rugged industrial swarming robots who are able to operate in the frigid cold of the tundra to the scorching heat of the desert,” added Jim Keravala, OffWorld’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are excited to be working with such a progressive company as Ma’aden which is dedicated to building the mines of the future whilst leading the way with action. This generation’s obligation to care for our planet’s needs whilst striving to provide for humankind calls for bold leadership and a commitment to make positive change on a grand scale.”

 

Ma’aden is the largest multi-commodity mining and metals company in the Middle East and among the fastest-growing mining companies in the world, with revenues of $7.12 billion in 2021. The company said it is developing the mining industry into the third pillar of the Saudi economy in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

 

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Book of the Month*

The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck

By Dr Christian Busch
Serendipity is an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. To other people it looks like “good luck”, but it is more the ability to recognise and seize an opportunity, rather than have good fortune thrust upon one. Finding a wallet stuffed with money on the conference room floor is good luck, whereas holding it up and asking if anyone has lost their wallet might be the beginning of a valuable friendship – that would be serendipity.

Chance encounters, or strokes of fortune, feature in countless stories of business success. This book looks beneath the surface, reveals and teaches the mindset that can transform pure chance into opportunity. The author is director of the Global Economy Program at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, and a lecturer at the London School of Economics.

Serendipity is an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. To other people it looks like “good luck”, but it is more the ability to recognise and seize an opportunity, rather than have good fortune thrust upon one. Finding a wallet stuffed with money on the conference room floor is good luck, whereas holding it up and asking if anyone has lost their wallet might be the beginning of a valuable friendship – that would be serendipity.

The author says “This is a book about the interactions of coincidence, human ambition and imagination”. In the above example: finding the wallet is the coincidence; ambition is the desire to make something of the discovery; add imagination and you open up a whole menu of possibilities: from spending spree to earning a reputation for honesty – or even making a wealthy friend.

Business is typically forged on human ambition and imagination, but early success often feeds an appetite for control – and “control freaks” can be blind to the opportunities thrown up by the unexpected. They only see chance events as distractions. If plans go awry, they may blame the failure on “bad luck” rather than admit their own inflexible attitude.

The author himself admits to being “a German who is used to planning” and prone to feel anxious when something unexpected happens. That makes him an ideal teacher, because he has worked hard to discover and analyse the mindset that enables one to “connect the dots” and cultivate serendipity. He presents a goldmine of examples from science, business and life where an apparent mishap or failure lead to a breakthrough.

Indeed, studies suggest that around 50% of major scientific breakthroughs emerge as the result of accidents or coincidences. A well-known example is Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, launching the whole field of antibiotics. Other examples include X-rays, nylon, microwave ovens, rubber, Velcro, Viagra and Post-it Notes – where would we be without these!

The book goes beyond the ability to recognise and respond to opportunities in chaos, but the subtitle – The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck – is actually a bit misleading. True, he does show ways to develop better fortune, but it would be better to call it “inviting” or “encouraging” good luck. For example, he suggests better ways to start a conversation with a stranger – ways that will make it more likely to lead to chance connections or shared interests.

The publishers may have chosen the word “creating” to make the book appeal to the human desire to control – for control freaks are exactly the readership that would benefit the most from this book’s wisdom and practical advice.

For the rest of us, it offers a great way to rediscover the sense of play that is so important in life – and too often lost in business.

 

“Following the success of The Serendipity Mindset hardback, a paperback edition has also now been launched under the title “Connect the Dots”.

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