How Bechtel Bridges Mining and AI with EPC

As global economies accelerate towards cleaner energy and digital expansion, the very foundations of infrastructure are shifting. Bechtel, one of the world's most recognised engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms, is demonstrating how procurement can bridge these two distinct industrial revolutions: one rooted in critical minerals and the other powered by artificial intelligence.

The company's latest projects in copper mining and AI infrastructure reveal two sides of the same transformation. In Queensland, Bechtel has been appointed as the EPC partner for Harmony’s Eva Copper Mine Project. This greenfield development is expected to become the region's largest new copper operation.

In parallel, the firm is working to modularise NVIDIA’s Omniverse AI factory blueprint to accelerate global data centre deployment. These developments highlight how Bechtel’s procurement strategy is evolving from a traditional logistics function into a primary driver of resilience, digitalisation and speed.

Building the copper backbone

As demand grows for clean energy technologies, ranging from wind turbines to electric vehicles, secure copper supply chains are becoming increasingly strategic. Bechtel’s appointment by Harmony follows its successful completion of the project’s front-end engineering design (FEED), a phase that demonstrated its ability to translate complex designs into deliverable and scalable procurement plans.

The Eva Copper Mine Project will include a copper concentrator and non-process infrastructure. Construction is due to begin in 2026, with first production targeted for 2028. The scope spans engineering, procurement and construction, all integrated within a single execution model designed to control cost and schedule risk.

Ailie MacAdam, Bechtel’s President of Mining & Metals, says: “Copper underpins modern infrastructure and the transition to a low-carbon future, enabling advances in infrastructure, technology and electrification. This project will deliver lasting value for Queensland through jobs and opportunities for regional suppliers.”

Ailie notes that the project reinforces Australia’s position in the global copper supply chain while creating jobs and opportunities for regional suppliers. This local engagement is a defining feature of the firm's procurement philosophy, which seeks to balance global supply assurance with localisation objectives. It represents a modern expression of procurement as an enabler of socio-economic value rather than merely a source of cost efficiency.

Modularising AI infrastructure

To meet the ever increasing demand for computing power, Bechtel is collaborating with NVIDIA to modularise the Omniverse gigawatt-scale AI factory design. The goal is to convert a complex reference architecture into a repeatable, rapidly deployable infrastructure template.

By standardising components and integrating design, procurement, construction and commissioning, the firm aims to reduce the time to operational readiness. The company describes this milestone as reaching the "first revenue token", which is the moment an AI facility successfully processes its first data workload. It demonstrates how procurement efficiency translates directly into a time-to-market advantage.

Catherine Hunt Ryan, Bechtel’s President of Manufacturing & Technology, says: “Bechtel and NVIDIA teams are catalysts for transformative innovation in the delivery of AI factories. 

“By combining NVIDIA’s hardware optimisation with Bechtel’s record of executing complex megaprojects, we can deliver AI infrastructure that’s faster to build, more reliable to operate, and ready to scale globally.

Integrated and intelligent procurement

Whether sourcing heavy equipment for a copper concentrator or modular units for data centres, the Bechtel procurement model now sits at the intersection of physical engineering and digital intelligence.

The company’s experience in megaproject modularisation, applied first in mining and energy and now extended to digital manufacturing, demonstrates how centralised data, supplier analytics and design integration can transform capital delivery.

Procurement is no longer just about contracting materials and services. It is about orchestrating interconnected supply ecosystems that determine whether infrastructure projects deliver on their cost, carbon and reliability promises.

As Catherine suggests, industries are converging around electrification and AI. Bechtel’s evolving procurement approach underscores a broader lesson for the sector: the next generation of industrial growth will be built not only on engineering excellence but on intelligent, adaptive procurement that links resources, data and delivery at unprecedented scale.