DIGITAL has dedicated C$4.0 million ($2.9 million) in co-investment to assist the event of the subsequent part (Challenge) of Novamera Inc.’s Surgical Mining™ know-how, an AI-powered, low-impact mining methodology designed to unlock home essential mineral sources throughout North America.
The funding will advance copper and uncommon earth elemen know-how purposes and set up a First-of-a-Sort (FOAK) allowing pathway in Ontario, making a scalable mannequin for quicker, lower-risk mine improvement.
Securing dependable, home sources of essential minerals is a strategic precedence for Canada. Electrification, defence modernization, and digital infrastructure developments demand copper and rare-earth components (REEs). On the identical time, conventional mining approaches wrestle to convey new provide on-line to fulfill present calls for. Copper alone is projected to face a major world provide hole inside the subsequent decade, doubtlessly heightening dangers to North American manufacturing, vitality safety, and industrial competitiveness.
Whereas North America hosts in depth recognized mineral deposits, many stay stranded on account of lengthy allowing timelines, excessive capital necessities, and entry challenges introduced by slim, deep, or distant deposit veins. Led by Novamera, in partnership with Northstar Gold Corp and Micon Worldwide, the mission goals to show a sensible pathway to speed up home manufacturing on a copper deposit whereas materially lowering the environmental footprint and upfront capital necessities.
Novamera’s patented Surgical Mining answer integrates superior subsurface imaging, AI-driven simulation, robotics, and standard drilling tools to exactly goal mineralised zones. By selectively extracting ore and minimising waste, the know-how permits quicker time-to-production and minimal environmental disturbance, it claims.
Jim Hollis, CEO, Novamera Inc, stated: “North America has no scarcity of essential minerals-we have a scarcity of how to convey them into manufacturing rapidly and responsibly. Surgical Mining was constructed to unravel that hole. With DIGITAL’s assist, we’re accelerating an answer that may unlock home copper and uncommon earth provide quicker, with decrease capital and a much smaller environmental footprint.”
Sue Paish, CEO of DIGITAL, added: “Mining is foundational to Canada’s prosperity and long-term financial resilience. We’re proud that our first co-investment with Novamera supported the event of Surgical Mining to unlock entry to narrow-vein copper and uncommon earth deposits. This subsequent part will advance the know-how to extend Canada’s provide of essential minerals whereas lowering floor disruption and threat. Defence readiness and industrial competitiveness go hand in hand. By investing in Canadian firms similar to Novamera, and accelerating the adoption of homegrown innovation, we are going to construct extra resilient provide chains, develop and retain mental property, and create high-quality jobs for Canadians.”
The co-investment builds on Novamera’s profitable completion of a previous DIGITAL-supported mission in 2025. That project-delivered in partnership with Memorial College of Newfoundland and two junior mining firms in Newfoundland-validated the Surgical Mining course of underneath real-world situations. It demonstrated key improvements in three-dimensional place management and real-time visualization, in addition to key financial and environmental efficiency metrics which have since pushed business adoption, reinforcing the know-how’s readiness for broader North American deployment, the corporate claims.
