DIGITAL funds mining from ore to closure – Metal Tech News
DIGITAL funds mining from ore to closure
Metal Tech News – July 10, 2026
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DIGITAL is providing C$6.7 million to support one mining technology project focused on precision extraction and another aimed at AI-powered ecological restoration
C$6.7M supports precision extraction and AI-powered restoration
Moving Canadian mining technology from development toward field adoption, Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for digital technologies, known as DIGITAL, July 9 announced C$6.7 million ($4.7 million) for two projects that would advance precision critical mineral extraction and AI-powered mine restoration
Needed for electric vehicles, clean energy systems, defense applications, and digital infrastructure, copper and rare earth elements have become increasingly tied to Canada’s economic security and industrial growth
Across those supply chains, some narrow or remote mineral veins remain difficult to mine with conventional methods, while restoring sites after mining can take decades as ecological data is gathered through separate monitoring systems
Established in 2018 under Canada’s Cluster Initiative, DIGITAL connects technology developers with industry partners that can test, validate, and deploy Canadian systems in operating environments
Through that adoption-focused model, the organization is working to reduce the risk of moving new technologies into the field while creating pathways toward commercialization in domestic and international markets
“Canada needs critical minerals to strengthen our economic security and sovereignty, but we cannot rely on yesterday’s mining methods to get there,” said DIGITAL interim CEO Rhonda Barnet. “These projects are an excellent example of how DIGITAL brings builders and buyers together to help the mining sector adopt made-in-Canada technologies that improve productivity, strengthen environmental performance, and give Canadian companies a stronger path to scale and compete globally.”
To help strengthen Canada’s ability to develop mineral rerecting the funding toward two technologies spanning the mine lifecycle
As part of the C$6.7 million commitment, Oakville, Ontario-based Novamera Inc. is slated to receive C$3.8 million ($2.7 million) for its Surgical Mining for Critical Minerals project, while Vancouver-based Koonkie Canada Inc. is to receive C$2.9 million ($2 million) for an ecological restoration monitoring and forecasting initiative
Built to selectively target mineralized material, Novamera’s patented Surgical Mining solution combines subsurface imaging, artificial intelligence-driven simulation, robotics, and drilling equipment
Often compared with laparoscopic surgery, the system uses downhole sensors to gather detailed subsurface information, software to model the shape of a mineralized vein, and guidance technology to calculate the drilling path needed to reach it
Once that path is established, a large-diameter reverse circulation drill with air-lift assistance brings the ore to surface before the opening is backfilled with cemented waste material
Before the latest funding, DIGITAL previously committed C$3.5 million ($2.6 million) in 2024 to support a Novamera-led demonstration of the technology on narrow-vein deposits in eastern Canada with Great Atlantic Re
For the latest project, Novamera will work with two industry partners to develop higher-resolution imaging tools and AI-enhanced processing pipelines capable of visualizing and modeling mineral veins with greater accuracy, test the new tools at a Canadian copper project, and support work with Ontario toward a faster permitting pathway
“North America has no shortage of critical minerals – we have a shortage of ways to bring them into production quickly and responsibly,” said Novamera CEO Jim Hollis. “Surgical Mining was built to solve that gap.”
Turning to mine restoration, Koonkie’s Multi-lens Ecological Restoration Monitoring and Forecasting initiative would bring biological, soil, and landscape-scale measurements into a single AI-powered platform combining environmental DNA, mobile soil analysis, and remote sensing imagery
Using environmental DNA, the platform would identify organisms across a site, while mobile soil tools would map nutrient health and remote sensing would track broader landscape changes
Integrated with Indigenous ecological knowledge, those data would allow restoration monitoring to reflect both scientific and cultural values
Developed with three project partners, the platform would provide operators and communities with real-time ecological restoration and biodiversity data for tracking and managing mine sites through closure
Project partners expect the platform could shorten ecological restoration timelines by five to 10 years and reduce restoration costs by up to 40% compared with legacy methods
“Ecological restoration needs better data, better forecasting, and better integration of knowledge systems,” said Koonkie CEO Steven Hallam. “We’re bringing together environmental DNA, advanced soil metrics, AI modeling, and insights from traditional land stewards to give operators and communities the predictive clarity they need to make timely, evidence-based environmental stewardship decisions for sites in closure.”
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