At the Yimin Open-Pit Coal Mine in Inner Mongolia in the Chinese mainland, a fleet of 100 unmanned electric trucks has begun group operations under a 5G-Advanced (5G-A) network. This milestone marks the world's first large-scale vehicle-cloud-network collaboration in open-pit mining, setting a new benchmark for safety and smart productivity.
5G-A bridges today's 5G and tomorrow's 6G by delivering faster speeds, ultra-low latency and rock-solid reliability. At Yimin, the network provides 500 Mbps uplink and just 20 ms latency, making real-time HD video streaming and cloud dispatch seamless—even in blizzards, dust storms and subzero blasts down to -40°C.
Without driver cabins, workers are fully isolated from hazards as AI-driven perception and cloud coordination handle every move. Each 90-tonne truck shuttles material with 120% greater transport efficiency than manual haulage. Huawei Cloud's algorithms use crowdsourced data to update live operational maps and optimize routes, cutting idle time and boosting throughput.
Huawei executive Zhang Ping'an highlighted how AI insights are powering a shift from human-controlled to smart-controlled mining. With plans to expand the fleet to over 300 unmanned trucks running 24/7, the project showcases the Chinese mainland's prowess in merging 5G, AI, cloud computing and green energy to revolutionize an age-old industry.
Reference(s):
World's first open-pit mine with 5G-A network established in China
cgtn.com
