Newcrest Mining has flagged internet of things and data analytics among its “2020 aspirations” and will set up a centre in India to help research uses of these technologies.

The centre, to be called the Innovation and Digital Operations Centre (IDOC), will be run by outsourcer Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) under a new agreement forged with the Australian gold miner.

“The IDOC will extensively leverage TCS’s global research and innovation networks to explore opportunities to improve activities across our business including ore processing, techniques for predictive targeting, and leveraging learning from other industries,” Newcrest said.

“Newcrest will work with TCS experts in engineering, research and development, data analytics and IoT, and process control.”

“At Newcrest, we are committed to being leaders in technology and innovation. We are always seeking out new ways to improve our operations,” Newcrest managing director and CEO Sandeep Biswas said.

“We want to enhance and accelerate the way we use automation and artificial intelligence across our business to improve our returns to shareholders.”