National People's Congress Representative Wuhan Qi: Suggest accelerating the development of smart mines and systematically advancing core technology research for heavy mining equipment

As a strategic foundational industry for national resource security and energy assurance, mining is receiving increased attention for its transformation toward intelligence, sustainability, and efficiency. Addressing challenges such as unreliable smart equipment, dependence on imported core control systems, dual constraints of funding and talent, and an incomplete standard system, Wuhan Qi, a deputy to the National People’s Congress, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of CITIC Heavy Industries, has proposed several suggestions.

Wuhan Qi recommends first enhancing the reliability of intelligent mining equipment by supporting leading enterprises to form innovation consortiums, establishing industry-level reliability verification and adaptation testing centers, and vigorously promoting intelligent online monitoring, fault prediction, and health management. The goal is to upgrade products from “basic usability” to “reliable and durable,” and further to “smart and user-friendly.”

Secondly, breakthroughs are needed in key autonomous control technologies specific to mining. Through joint efforts, a complete ecological chain covering equipment manufacturing, system development, integration, and maintenance services should be built. This could provide insurance compensation of no less than 80% of the equipment value for the first intelligent mining equipment, promoting deep integration of AI, big data, and other technologies with mining equipment. The aim is to enable equipment to perceive, diagnose, and make decisions independently, creating transparent mining equipment and demonstration ecological chains, accelerating industry adoption.

Additionally, efforts should be made to accelerate the update and iteration of intelligent mining equipment, focusing on breakthroughs in the design and manufacturing of integrated intelligent excavation, crushing, grinding, and mineral processing equipment, as well as intelligent specialized mining robots and new unmanned vehicles. The goal is to develop a comprehensive system of “extremely large and heavy” intelligent mining equipment, forming a safe, efficient, and green modern mining production model. Building AI data infrastructure for mining is also crucial, supporting the national key laboratories to lead the development of a national smart mining data open platform, establishing a comprehensive training framework covering “mine-machine-environment-human,” and constructing AI large model training and validation bases in typical mining areas. Furthermore, national demonstration application scenarios should be established, with special plans and standards developed. Promoting incentives from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in Beizhen City, the goal is to move from “point breakthroughs” to “full-scale adoption” of mining intelligence.

Wuhan Qi emphasizes that heavy mining equipment, as a vital part of manufacturing, must advance core technological research and accelerate the industry’s intelligent, green, and integrated development. This will provide technological and equipment support for new industrialization, enhance the security and stability of the industrial chain, and improve self-control levels, thereby strengthening the country’s energy and resource security.

“Some high-end complete machines and core systems still rely on imports or face technological gaps, with key basic components and materials constrained by others. The lack of coordination between innovation chains and industrial chains poses potential risks to supply chain security,” Wuhan Qi states. He suggests strengthening top-level design and strategic guidance by establishing national key research projects, implementing “scenario lists” and “unveiling and leading” initiatives, transforming specific engineering needs of major national energy and resource bases and green intelligent mines into clear equipment performance indicators.

Furthermore, innovative organizational models should be adopted, clearly supporting mining equipment manufacturers with system integration capabilities and market dominance as “chain leaders,” creating “chain-led, deeply integrated” joint innovation bodies. These should implement “whole-chain, integrated” research efforts, with priority in project applications and long-term stable funding. The role of national key laboratories should be leveraged to establish common technology R&D and experimental verification platforms, promoting data connectivity, trustworthy information exchange, and flexible resource allocation. This will enable virtual coordination of complete system debugging, significantly reducing R&D cycles and trial-and-error costs.

Wuhan Qi also recommends focusing on the autonomy of key components and materials by establishing a “Mining Equipment Fundamental Capability Enhancement” special project. This aims to accelerate R&D and application of core parts, sensors, key control units, and operating systems for mining intelligent equipment. A mandatory verification and application incentive mechanism for domestically produced components on initial equipment should be established, fostering dual empowerment of “industry foundation rebuilding” and “equipment breakthroughs.” Policy support systems should be improved, exploring government-led “national risk compensation funds + commercial insurance” models, expanding the scope of “first sets, first batches, first versions” recognition and application incentives. This will address application bottlenecks caused by reluctance or inability to use domestically produced equipment, creating a virtuous cycle of “R&D-application-iteration.”

Text by Qian Xiaorui

(Edited by: Qian Xiaorui)

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