Work begins on $2.3 billion copper mine in Zambia backed by tech billionaires including Bill Gates and Sam Altman

KoBold, a Silicon Valley-based company, will operate the Mingomba mine, which is expected to eventually produce 300,000 tons of copper a year and rank among the world's largest copper mines.

AI was used to discover a previously unknown concentrated copper ore deposit at the site, located more than a mile underground in an area prone to flooding.

The project is driven by rising copper demand from data center construction and efforts to diversify global supply chains away from China.