BHP innovates with Microsoft for copper growth
Finding new ways to extract copper from ore is a challenge scientists and metallurgists have been working on for decades.
BHP is the world’s largest copper producer, and we have increased copper production by around 30 per cent since 2021. That’s because more copper is needed to support a growing population, the energy transition, digitalisation and the AI revolution.
A collaboration between BHP and Microsoft is now accelerating discovery of advanced copper leaching solutions, to unlock value.
Copper leaching is complex and discovering better ways to recover copper from ore has relied on slow, manual trial and error processes. There are millions of possible molecules, both known and yet to be discovered, that could potentially improve copper leaching. Testing them one by one in a lab would take years, if not decades.
BHP saw an opportunity to do things differently.
In partnership with Microsoft and Prescience Insilico, BHP set out to test whether advanced computing could speed up the discovery process without compromising scientific rigour or operational relevance.
Using Microsoft Discovery – a platform designed to accelerate scientific R&D through high performance computing and specialised AI agents – our team can speed up scientific discovery through computational workflows, targeting the things that matter most for BHP’s global copper operations.
The models are grounded in the real conditions of ore at BHP’s copper operations, ensuring the results are practical, relevant and scalable.
“As the first mining partner on Microsoft Discovery, BHP is leading the way in exploring how advanced computing and scientific capabilities can help tackle complex industry challenges,” said Aseem Datar, Corporate Vice President, Product Innovation for Microsoft Discovery.
Working with Microsoft, the BHP team screened more than half a million molecules that might help extract copper more efficiently.
This involved running tens of thousands of quantum chemistry calculations and simulations, narrowing the field to a number of molecules for testing by scientists in Australian laboratories.
BHP Vice President Innovation Jessica Farrell said the partnership has the potential to contribute to BHP’s long-term copper growth ambition.
“As copper demand grows and new deposits become harder and more expensive to develop, improving recovery from existing ores is a critical lever to help meet future supply needs.
“This partnership has given our technical experts the tools they need to narrow an almost infinite field of possibilities down to a small number of options that could one day be deployed in our global copper operations.
“Those candidates are being tested against the realities of our ore bodies and operating constraints, so we are solving for what can actually work in practice.
“This shows how technology and human expertise can be applied together to solve complex, real-world challenges.”
On top of speed and efficiency, the project is also targeting sustainability benefits, including reduced toxicity and lower environmental impact, alongside improved recovery rates and lower costs.
About BHP Invent
BHP Invent works globally to connect innovators with real-world applications in the mining industry technologies in ore body knowledge, mining, processing, leaching and tailings management.
Through its Open House platform, BHP Invent welcomes ideas throughout the year, providing a pathway for innovators to connect with BHP teams and explore potential collaboration opportunities.
More information on BHP Invent can be found here: BHP Invent | BHP
