BHP Group, KoBold to look for minerals in Australia

BHP Group, the world's largest miner by market value, will team up with Bill Gates backed, KoBold Metals, to find new mineral sources such as copper and nickel in Western Australia and other global locations.

"We need new approaches to find the next generation of essential minerals, and this alliance will combine historical data, artificial intelligence, and geoscience expertise to uncover what has previously been hidden," said Keenan Jennings, BHP's head of metals exploration.

KoBold uses artificial intelligence to find new sources of electric-vehicle and renewable-energy metals. It is said  it is closely watching the development of a bill to protect Aboriginal heritage in Western Australia.