Inside the Artificial Intelligence ‘Hive’ Accelerating Fortescue’s Renewables Transition
The Australian Financial Review
READ
Details
- Date Published
- 26 Mar 2026
- Priority Score
- 2
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 26 Mar 2026, 10:00 am
Description
The Andrew Forrest-chaired group has long had green ambitions. Many have not come off. This time, it is banking on automation to end a need for costly diesel.
Summary
Fortescue is deploying localized artificial intelligence to manage a 600-kilometre renewable energy grid in Western Australia's Pilbara region to eliminate diesel dependency. The AI 'hive' acts as a central nerve centre, automating power supply management across complex transmission lines and solar assets to optimize efficiency. While the article highlights significant industrial automation and efficiency gains, it focuses on narrow AI application for energy logistics rather than frontier AI risks or existential safety concerns. This development illustrates the rapid integration of AI into critical Australian infrastructure and its role in sovereign industrial decarbonization.
Body
Tom Rabe and Mark WembridgeMar 26, 2026 – 5.00amMore than $1 billion. That’s how much money Fortescue thinks it could save every year by ditching diesel at its sprawling Pilbara iron ore mining operations. Instead, it proposes to use solar energy. And the one thing making that a reality? A whole lot of artificial intelligence.“We’ve lit that thing up like a Christmas tree,” Fortescue chief executive Dino Otranto says of a 600-kilometre web of transmission lines and renewable energy assets spread across Western Australia’s northern reaches – all tied to a nerve centre in Perth where AI manages power supply.Loading...SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreAIRenewablesDino OtrantoFortescue Metals GroupAndrew ForrestMiningTom RabePolitical correspondentTom Rabe is the Western Australia political correspondent, based in Perth. Connect with Tom on Twitter. Email Tom at tom.rabe@nine.com.auMark WembridgeResources reporterMark Wembridge covers resource companies for The Australian Financial Review, based in Perth. He formerly worked for the Financial Times in London and Hong Kong. Connect with Mark on Twitter. Email Mark at mark.wembridge@nine.com.auFetching latest articles