During 2017, Barrick in its annual report says it laid the foundation for its digital transformation through a series of pilot projects primarily focused at the Cortez mine in Nevada. “This allowed us to validate the viability of our digital solutions and their potential economic returns in a controlled environment with rigorous oversight.”

“In 2018, our digital strategy will focus on completing version one of the Barrick Data Fabric, an enterprise-grade, big data analytics platform. This will provide a unified data environment for the company that will allow our leaders and operators to identify variability and trends, generate trusted, real-time data, predict failures, and take action to address problems quickly, or before they arise. We also will accelerate the implementation of digital projects across our other operations, with an initial focus in Nevada, including:

“Expanded use of automated processing systems, combined with introduction of artificial intelligence;
Implementation of short interval control in open pit, underground, and processing areas;
Expanded implementation of digital work management and predictive maintenance systems; and
Expanded use of automation, including an autonomous open pit trial, and the implementation of automated underground drills.”

“We are taking a disciplined approach to our digital strategy and will continue to apply a high degree of rigour to these projects, just as we would for any other investment, to ensure that our investments in digital deliver the benefits we anticipate.”