On March 24, the First Smart Blasting Symposium was held in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan province. Seizing the strategic opportunity presented by the full implementation of the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the acceleration of new quality productive forces, the symposium focused on China’s national strategy for smart mining. With a strong emphasis on technological innovation in intelligent blasting, the event explored emerging trends and future directions of the industry, serving as a key platform for promoting the intelligent transformation and upgrading of the blasting sector. At the symposium, Academician Xie Xianqi, Chairman of the Academic Committee of Jianghan University, Director of SKLPB, and President of the China Society of Explosives and Blasting, delivered an opening address. Professor Jia Yongsheng, Vice President of Jianghan University and Executive Deputy Director of SKLPB, was invited to deliver a keynote speech.
In his address, Academician Xie Xianqi noted that China’s blasting industry has evolved from extensive blasting methods to precision blasting, and is now moving toward deep integration with green and intelligent mining practices. He emphasized that sustained investment in national infrastructure and the rapid advancement of next-generation information technologies have created vast opportunities for the development of smart blasting. Academician Xie proposed accelerating the research and application of intelligent blasting technologies, establishing a standardized framework for smart blasting, strengthening policy support and guidance, and promoting green development and safe production practices. He called on participants to seize the opportunity of this symposium to align with the country’s new energy security strategy and industry needs, leverage technological innovation, and advance intelligent development in order to contribute to safer blasting operations and the intelligent transformation of the mining sector.
Professor Jia Yongsheng delivered a keynote speech titled “AI Empowering Precision Blasting: Future Trends and Challenges.” His presentation focused on four key aspects: the significance of AI in the blasting industry, the technical framework of AI-powered precision blasting, innovative applications in the field, and future challenges facing the integration of AI into blasting technologies. Using a series of in-depth technical case studies, Professor Jia demonstrated how AI enables fine-grained analysis of blasting effects, precise regulation of blasting outcomes, and refined control of blasting safety. He also highlighted real-world practices from the laboratory, showcasing how AI contributes to tunnel blasting design and the safe management of explosive transportation. He said that looking ahead, SKLPB will seize the opportunities created by the AI era, leveraging China’s industry-wide data and computing infrastructure—including the Jianghan University Intelligent Computing Center — to tackle the complexity and uncertainty of deep-earth, deep-sea, deep-space, and large-scale blasting projects. The laboratory aims to contribute Chinese solutions to the development of globally trusted safety standards and to lead innovation-driven upgrading in the global blasting industry.
The First Smart Blasting Symposium was co-hosted by the Key Laboratory of State Administration of Mine Safety Supervision for Safety and Intelligent Mining of non-Coal Open-pit Mines, the School of Resources and Safety Engineering at Central South University, the School of Chemical Engineering and Blasting Technology at Anhui University of Science and Technology, and Hongda Blasting Engineering Group Co., Ltd. The symposium attracted a distinguished lineup of experts and industry leaders, including Academician He Manchao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Academicians Xie Xianqi, Chen Yong, Chen Xiangsheng, Ge Shirong, and Wu Aixiang of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. More than 500 participants—attended the symposium, including experts from SKLPB, government officials, researchers, technical professionals, university students, media representatives, as well as globally leading companies such as Orica and Epiroc. The symposium was livestreamed online, with total viewership exceeding 10,000. Participation in this symposium significantly enhanced the visibility and international influence of SKLPB, and strongly contributed to the development of “Double First-Class” disciplines at Jianghan University. (By: LaiZhongyuan)
