March 7, 2024 SBQuantum & Silicon Microgravity Accelerate Mining

By combining two technologies, they can accelerate discovery of strategic mineral deposits using a drone, significantly cutting costs too.

SHERBROOKE, Canada and CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom – SBQuantum, the first company developing diamond quantum magnetometers to accelerate critical mineral discovery, today announces a new partnership with Silicon Microgravity, a disruptive technology company developing innovative inertial and gravity sensors. The project will see the development of a drone-based system of sensors combining magnetics and gravimetry to accelerate the location and analysis of underground mineral deposits for the mining industry. This joint approach will significantly reduce the time and capital required for locating and analysing deposits in the field, while also improving 3D geological readouts.

“It is of paramount importance for SBQuantum to both develop international partnerships as well as diversify our sensing stack to improve hit rates for mineral drilling. This project with Silicon Microgravity accomplishes both. We would like to thank IRAP for providing part of the funding to deploy quantum magnetometers in the field, on airborne platforms, and we’re eagerly looking forward to deploying this hardware in the field” said David Roy-Guay, CEO and Co-Founder of SBQuantum.

These dual sensor systems can be deployed via drone over mining claims of all sizes to detect underground deposits from the sky. These include strategic minerals such as cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, platinum, rare earths and others. Whereas conventional magnetic field maps provide limited data regarding 3D depth information, this new, combined approach overcomes this issue, allowing users to see the geology in 3D after a single survey and with at least 30% greater resolution than the current industry standard. In turn, this may reduce the need to move heavy equipment and personnel around remote areas, fast-track drilling operations and provide a higher hit rate, all of which drives down costs.

“We’ll be combining two key geophysical surveying methods, gravimetry and magnetics, to quickly identify promising mineral deposits. Based on these complementary techniques, we anticipate accelerating the discovery of many of the 300-500 new strategic mineral deposits required to move the global energy transition forward.” added Francis Neill, Chief Executive Officer and Director at Silicon Microgravity.

The Quantum Accelerated Mining Exploration project, or QUAMINEX, is being partially financed by the governments of Canada and the UK, which have contributed $500,000 (CAD) and £414,000 respectively. SBQuantum’s funding comes from Canada’s IRAP program, as part of the National Research Council’s grants for Canada-UK collaborations using quantum technologies. Silicon Microgravity’s funding was courtesy of UK Research and Innovation, which is funding the British part of these transatlantic collaborations.

The project, which will take 18 months to complete, also represents the first deployment of a diamond- based quantum magnetometer on a drone. Both partners are currently optimizing the positioning of their sensors on the drone for maximum efficiency. Once the equipment is ready, testing will begin in a remote area of Canada. This project is one of several Canada-UK partnerships, for which the UK government has invested over £4 million, along with Canada’s $5.1 million (CAD) to strengthen collaborative research and development, as well as develop quantum technologies ready for real-world commercial use.

About SBQuantum
Founded and based in the quantum technology hub of Sherbrooke, Canada, SBQuantum is producing leading edge hardware in the field of quantum sensing, combined with advanced interpretation and compensation algorithms to bring magnetics to new heights. SBQ has obtained significant sums of non- dilutive financing to help propel it forward on its mission to bring to market the power of advanced sensors leveraging quantum effects. Its quantum magnetometer has already been tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as part of NASA Tournament Lab. Beyond testing its equipment in space via the MagQuest Challenge, the company also intends to bring its miniaturized sensors to unmanned vehicles and a range of other deployment scenarios today’s sensors cannot perform. For additional information, visit sbquantum.com.

About Silicon Microgravity
Silicon Microgravity Limited (SMG) is a platform technology company based in the UK. Its technology has the ability of capturing gravitational and motion data at sensitivities not easily or economically achievable with traditional technology. It has applications across a large range of areas including inertial navigation for robotics, autonomous vehicles, aerospace defence, and gravity monitoring for space, civil engineering, and security. Its purpose is to solve complex challenges and create value through the application of gravity and motion detection, responsibly. For more information visit silicong.com.

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